The Secrets of Equestria - A New Age

by Anachronon

Rating: mature
Tags: Profanity, Adventure, Violence, Death, Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, Gore, Dark, Alternate Universe, Original Character, Equestria Girls, Sex, Main 7 (EqG)
Length: 307880

Sunset Shimmer and her friends have new powers at their disposal after the events of Camp Everfree. Now they seek to understand their magical abilities. They never expected the awakening of things long forgotten and challenges beyond their dreams.

After the events of Camp Everfree, Sunset Shimmer and her human friends have new magical abilities at their disposal. What they didn't know, yet, they weren't the only ones who benefited from the increased influx of Equestrian magic.

An old entity, sentenced for its chosen path, was banished to the world of man and endured in silence. Its patience was rewarded. This entity wandered planes, known and unknown, in a time before the Pony tribes lived under one banner. In a time before the Royal Sisters ruled and the Ponies of Equestria decided to follow them and their ideals, giving the tribes the opportunity to live nowadays in a golden age of peace. An era where Friendship, Love and Harmony shall conquer all odds.

Secrets of ancient times are about to be revealed and ruins of forgotten ages are about to be awaken from their rest. The history of old shall stir its head. But no matter what may transpire, the challenge will be all the same.

This being will start a new age for humans, Ponies and all other races of both worlds. Only this time, the Magic of Friendship may not be enough to stop the incoming threats to the form of life as they know it.

It will confront all with the truth, even if they wished to forget.

It will make them remember.

The inhabitants of Earth and Equus will have to face new circumstances they never could have imagined before. In the process, it will be decided if they can overcome the changes, or be consumed entirely.

The Secrets of Equestria are waiting, ready to be discovered.

Published 2017-02-03 02:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2020-04-07 21:07:38 UTC

Prologue - Dawn of a New Era

Imprisoned for 10,000 years...

Once banished to this parallel world known as Earth. It had many similarities, but at the same time countless distinctions. It made me curious, indeed. I discovered many details and much information worthwhile about this realm. It is a little like a mirror, every living human on this plane has a natural counterpart on Aldara, or 'Equus', as many call my home domain today. Some of its inhabitants argue and call it by another name, suiting their own beliefs. How utterly pointless. But my home dimension's true name was sadly lost to time, excuses could be accepted in this case.

And even the mortals who died in one world, had in many cases a counterpart in the other at one point in the flow of time. The magic of Terra was slumbering for many millennia, though its connection to Aldara shall be the key to its awakening.

Secrets of both realms, told and untold, are waiting for their discovery.

But all in due time. I have to say, if they didn't banish me into this world, I wouldn't have found this new magic, nor these opportunities within my reach. The dominant species of Terra, the humans, have so much potential. Sadly, they refuse to acknowledge the truth right in front of their very eyes. Magic, a great gift, coupled with an even greater responsibility. In order to handle it, a calm mind is mandatory. It exists in this world like on Equis, even if it needs a stronger push in the right direction. Sometimes magic showed itself to humans in some forms and in the earlier days of their race they even built a connection. But in time magic was forgotten and explained as a fantasy of the mind. Such foolishness.

I shall make them remember.

In my existence I watched how entire civilizations emerged and perished. Empires crumbled, mountains were created by the forces of nature itself and prosperous forests turned into deserts. I witnessed many events, but if I learned anything about the way of creation, then it was the following: "Nothing shall last forever".

I remember the progress of the human cultures. They achieved many great things in their short lives and learned to adapt to the circumstances they had to face. Until this very day mankind strives for more. For power, for influence, for a world built after their own image. But the victims of their own history never died in vain. All of those self-proclaimed conquerors never knew the truth about their world.

Pathetic.

Humans endured, pulled themselves together and worked with each other to form at least a little kingdom of peace. A little bit of harmony, of order or their own form of chaos, even if only for short time frames.

Still, many of them dedicated themselves to a new way of life, which conflicted with reality. To ignore everything that was incompatible with their little world. Be it a world of religion, a world of science, a world of dreams or a new world entirely. Sadly, magic, a force in its own right, is one element many humans, no matter their beliefs, decided to forget. They even abused it, labelling it as their definition of "evil" as an excuse to commit unspeakable sins in the Dark Age.

Hypocrites.

They forcibly closed off their senses against everything they didn't understand and couldn't explain in words of their own. Just because it would question them, because it would unsettle the foundations of their fragile ways of life.

I shall make them remember.

Then again, there is the world of Aldara, my world. Where many species exist, known and unknown. Even in imprisonment I could still observe both plains with my abilities. I made prescient arrangements, before I was banished, so I was still aware of the most important moments, worthy of being remembered.

I watched how the events of history unfolded themselves before my eyes. The inhabitants of Aldara were, and still are, like humans in many regards. Some of them played a bigger, others a smaller, role in the making of the world. There are five of many different species, who made the biggest impact on history and they will play a greater role in the upcoming storm I will unleash.

The mighty race of the Dragons, for example.

Once they were the most dominant species, but lust for treasures and power let their kingdom crumble to dust and ashes, the curse of mortality hit without mercy. The cursed call themselves dragons out of pride, but they try to hide their fall from grace and are only shades of what they once were. Nowadays those less impressing relatives of the true Dragons are content with a cave and gemstones, representing greed and foolishness. A simple life in solitude is their desire, only left behind during the Great Dragon Migration.

But quite a few of them live to this day in the ruins of their former domain to this very day, waiting for the opportunity, for fate, in the shadows of Dra'thyron, the Eternal City, in the heart of the 'Dragonlands', as most mortals call the former kingdom in this age. For some, this land is still known under an older title, Dra'za.

Seven kinds of Dragons existed at the dawn of Aldara. Dragons of the elements of fire, water, thunder, wind, earth, magic and life. Majestic, powerful, living forces and embodiments of their power. They decided to retreat from their rightful place when the curse appeared. Their later existing lesser brethren took this initiative and spread beyond their domain. But such is the difference between the Dragons and their fleshy cousins, the drakes. Such momentousness can't be ignored, if some wish to compare them.

I wonder though, will they be able to reclaim, even if just a percentage, of their former glory?

Griffonstone, the once proud capital of the Gryphons of the split kingdom Gryphonia, succumbed to a mere mockery of its former brilliance, just because one little item was stolen from them. The Idol of Boreas, one of the Gryphons most precious artefacts. Whoever held the idol would be declared the ruler of all Gryphons and may assemble the noble clans under one rule once again.

There are five higher noble clans, who seek power in their own way: The Redclaw Clan, the Archbeak Clan, the Newfeather Clan, the Eagleeye Clan and the Lionhawk Clan. Each has loyal vassals. In the Gryphons' military are six kind of warriors: Knight, archer, lancer, seer, valkyrie and berserker. The Griffon Kingdom has a long tradition of prideful warriors, who live after a simple doctrine: 'Live with honor, fight with honor, die with honor'. Will they be able to mark history anew? Gain respect and be acknowledged as a force to be reckoned with? Or will they have to continue this subsistence? Only time will tell.

Changelings; A truly misunderstood race. Almost none tried to understand them or their culture. What a shameful display of ignorance. For good nourishment they need to harvest emotions. Love constitutes as the mainstay of their diet. Changelings can eat and drink like all the other races, but they don't gain any nutrients from it. They become weak without love, and they can not use any magic if they starve. Especially not if they are in the process of dying from malnutrition.

Because of their appearance they are feared and severed from society. That is the reason changeling hives exist distributed over the world. There are thirteen hives, swarms, on Aldara, which are named after different kinds of gems: The Malachite, Amber, Amethyst, Obsidian, Aquamarine, Axinite, Bloodstone, Citrine, Ruby, Sapphire, Seraphinite, Jadeite and Diamond Hive.

Thus, in many cases, unfounded hatred for them is the reason they only live with each other in form of a hive. A hive consists of six general classes of Changelings.

First there are the Collectors, who search for emotions, especially love, which they can harvest and bring back to the hive.

Next, the Guardians, who defend it.

Then they have Drones, who represent their military with their own structure of command.

Breeders, who support and care for the nymphs.

Workers, who are tasked with assignments, which they gladly do because it is their duty. Conviction and obligation to work and live for the hive, as it is for all Changelings.

The most important Changeling class is the Queen.

A Queen is not only the ruler of a hive, but much more. She is like a mother to all Changelings in her hive. She breeds, feeds, cares, protects them, fights for them and shares her wisdom with generations to come.

All Changelings of a swarm are mentally connected over a hivemind, which makes it possible to coordinate in near perfection, despite having their own thoughts and feelings. The Queen is the center and backbone of the hivemind, and she can reach all of her subjects with it. Such a deep connection imparts every Changeling an undying loyalty for their hive queen and they would gladly give their life for her.

A hive always needs a Queen.

Unsurprisingly, Changelings are shapeshifters, which means their magic gives them the ability to change into another species entirely in body and voice. But not memory, should they take on the form of an already existing being. It is the most important aspect of Changeling magic and makes it possible to harvest love undetected. If their magic is strong enough, Changelings can take the form of creatures that are much bigger than themselves.

Next there is Taurien, the land of minotaurs where the inhabitants are born for battle and tradition.

In the great colosseums of Minos, the capital of Taurien, young minotaurs fight in the hopes of gaining glory, respect and recognition from the chieftain of their tribe. Their willingness to fight in battle will make them a force to be reckoned with. The minotaurs walk upon the Gleaming Steppes, which contain the biggest part of their country. There, fueled by the teachings of their elders, are they worshipping their own entity: Azan, Goddess of Nature and the Hunt. And they don't take kindly to intruders on their holy grounds. Notwithstanding, they forgot a being of the ancient times, an important and dangerous part of their old history, which could have a great impact on the upcoming events. Something that slumbers, but could awake at any time... the Balrog of Dun Rakah.

And at last the race that affected history the most; the Ponies. Small, but resistant, an admirable trait to have.

I remember them in their earliest history. The Ponies of the land today known as Equestria. Four tribes, each living in its own kingdom.

The Thestrali, awake during the nighttime and wandering under the moonlight, whereas all other tribes chose the light of day. To this moment, most of them live in their own domain, Thestrylvania, far away from the other three tribes in the southeast.

Then, there were the Unicorns of Unicornia under the rule of Princess Platinum, daughter of King Bullion, and her royal advisor, Clover the Clever, apprentice of Star Swirl the Bearded, who in turn advised Bullion in his younger years.

The Pegasi of Pegasopolis, under the lead of Commander Hurricane and his subordinate Private Pansy

Finally the Earth Ponies of Earthstantinopel under the rule of Chancellor Puddinghead and her secretary Smart Cookie.

Every tribe had its own branch of magic and abilities, thinking that they deserved more than the others. All the skirmishes they fought with word and sword had a consequence, none of the ponies anticipated nor find out until a much later point.

Windigos were enticed. The hatred of the Ponies for each other made them stronger and stronger, so much so that they unleashed a long and merciless winter upon their victims. The blizzards froze the earth and made it impossible, even for the Earth Ponies, to harvest or to find any food at all.

Many of the Ponies died because of the resulting famine. The tribe leaders all came to the same conclusion: They had to leave their kingdoms behind and find a new realm. Reinforced by the wish to lead their fellow equines to safety, the three leaders and their second in commands led their remaining Ponies to a new land, untouched by the deathly cold of the unforgiving winter. But the peace in this new kingdom lasted for a short time only. Soon they discovered that the other tribes had settled there too. A fragile peace and a little trade were the only contacts between them.

In the end they did what mortals always did if something went wrong. They searched for a scapegoat to blame for the suffering they had to withstand, even if it was their own fault.

The flames of war kindled anew, many lost their lives in the heat of battle. On the peak of their last fight something happened and none of them understood how it was possible. But the winter, they had to endure, caught up to them in an instant. The Windigos had returned.

Star Swirl the Bearded and Clover the Clever found out that the Spirits of Hatred caused the blizzard after they investigated the origin of the unnatural fast approaching storm. Star Swirl ordered his apprentice to search for a solution in a cave, deep in a nearby forest. There he located a strong magical disturbance he never felt before, and sent her to investigate the source of this disturbance. In the meantime he tried to at least slow down the wraith’s onslaught.

Clover talked with Princess Platinum about their observations and the princess decided to accompany her in order to protect her subjects. Scouts of the Pegasi and Earth Ponies reported back to their leaders about the plan of the two Unicorns and they decided to follow them, curious about what they might find.

In a nearby forest of foreboding nature, later called the Everfree Forest by the equines, and after many encounters with the indigenous flora and fauna, Platinum and Clover found an old cave and went in to search for the magical disturbance. In the end of their journey they found a strange looking tree made of crystal with six round, radiant orbs on its limbs. This tree was later called, by the Ponies, the Tree of Harmony.

Suddenly behind them were Commander Hurricane, Private Pansy, Smart Cookie and Chancellor Puddinghead and they demanded to know what the Unicorns wanted to do with the tree. Annoyed and fearing that the other leaders would stop them from helping their fellow Ponies, the magic wielders prepared themselves for a fight. All three sides stood in a fair distance from each other and waited for a good opportunity to strike.

But before the situation could escalate any further, the Windigos, now in their unholy true form infused by hatred, attacked them. The Ponies fought to the best of their abilities in their teams of two, but in the end the cursed souls were too strong. Fearing it would not only be the end for them, but their tribes, too, all six leaders fought together. Now Pegasi, Earth Ponies and Unicorns fought for a common goal. The high amount of determination and the wish to defend their loved ones was answered by the crystal tree which was the entire reason for their journey into this cave in the first place. The six orbs started to glow brightly in the colors of a rainbow. The massive amount of magic that collected itself in the orbs was unleashed in a bright explosion, which covered not only the cave, but the entire kingdom and beyond. Nothing was damaged except the Windigos, which were destroyed the moment the magic touched them. It forced them to retreat, to disappear, and with them the blizzard in progress.

The Windigos were defeated.

After mourning the dead and helping the wounded, the six equines decided to meet again. Encouraged by the earlier events, the tribe leader decided to put aside their differences and create a new country for all Ponies, not only for one tribe. The kingdom of Equestria was founded.

This happened 5,000 years after my banishment to the human world.

In the coming years the Ponies of Equestria learned to live with each other, but racism and arrogance, especially by the Unicorn nobility, caused new problems over the years.

Then they appeared. The Celestial Sisters, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. They were sisters by blood, but something was different about them. They had the abilities and features of all three tribes. Both were young mares, but Star Swirl the Bearded took them in and taught them many lessons before his disappearance. Because they were in their abilities a combination of the three Pony tribes, he decided to call their species Alicorn.

Later they found out, after a few tests of their traits, that they were ageless and eventually they gained the power to lower and raise the sun and the moon. The Ponies saw them as a sign, that their combination of the three tribes had a deeper meaning and thus the Ponies of Equestria chose to announce them to be princesses for all tribes.

So began the rule of the Royal Sisters. The Ponies were first like all other races of the world, but it changed. In the next nearly 4,000 years, Celestia and Luna fought wars to defend their subjects many times and tried to be fair rulers. But after the Alicorn of the Sun had to banish her own sister to the moon with the help of the six orbs from the crystalline tree, the Ponies called them Elements of Harmony at one point, she felt left alone, overwhelmed by grief and loss. The aftermath of the civil war between the followers of the sun and the moon changed the ruler's way of thinking dramatically.

In the next 1,000 years, Celestia started her own campaign of harmony. She changed history books to make the later generations of her subjects believe that every conflict in existence could be solved alone with friendship and love in peaceful ways.

A noble gesture, but futile in the very end. This foolish Alicorn did all that out of the firm belief that a much more peaceful way of living would benefit them.

Such ignorance, such naivety.

She banished all practice of deadly spells and not even the Ponies’ own military was allowed to practice magic that could eliminate an enemy immediately. Every major conflict which arose was played down by her after it was solved. She truly lived by the old human saying, 'History is written by the victors'.

With that action Celestia ridiculed every victim who lost its life for a greater cause to give other Ponies the chance to live another day. This forced education on the mind she gave her subjects was sickening. Worse, they believed in her teachings. They took to her words like a fish to water, firmly thinking she knew the answers to every problem and placed her on a pedestal, equal to a god. Their inability to judge a being for all its actions and to seek the truth, instead of putting every word of their ruler on a golden scale, is astonishing. Their blindness knows no measure.

How could they truly believe that every conflict could be solved peacefully? Where did they get the arrogance to announce with determination and faith that even to think about solving a problem with force would be archaic or barbaric? Even if there was no other way? They are blinded to reality; They abandoned it.

Until this day they think only their way of life is the right course, since it was their path for over a millennium and instead of taking the world with a grain of salt and investigating both sides of a story they turn a blind eye when it comes to pulling consequences. They only see their own solution, without asking difficult questions. For the Ponies of Equestria in these days the world only exists in white and black and not grey anymore. They toss around words like "good" and "evil", like they have the right to judge others who don't follow their standard of virtues. Whoever doesn't want to live like them has to be banished, imprisoned or has to follow the path of redemption in their eyes.

Creatures who are violent by nature are labelled 'monsters' and even sapient races who have to consume meat in order to survive are looked upon with fear and judgment, because they take lives. They developed a strong caution, in many cases more a great dislike for everything that is unknown to them. Not rarely the Ponies pass the line between caution and xenophobia, between fear and irrational dislike, maybe even unfounded hatred.

I shall make them remember their ancestors' legacy.

They hide from the truth... yes indeed, hypocrisy is something they have in great amounts. After 1,000 years the Alicorn of the Moon returned from her banishment and six young mares were chosen by the Elements of Harmony. With them they released Princess Luna from the Nightmare Forces. But except for her sister and maybe a few of the proclaimed 'Bearers of Harmony', only the Thestrali and other creatures of the night were overjoyed to welcome back their mistress.

The Ponies gave the Elements labels: Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity and Magic. One mare, one Element of Harmony. But these famed 'heroes' are like all the other Ponies. They only want to enforce the sun princess's path of false harmony. They completely forget that life is neither easy nor simple. They only want to live in a world of illusions, of their own form of harmony.

I will make them remember the truth.

In the imminent events, they need to learn. They forgot their past, they forgot what their ancestors fought for, or more Celestia made them forget, but still, they follow her doctrines blindly. An obedient puppet is not better than the puppeteer. Since the banishment of her sister she upheld the tradition to have every year a play, called the Hearth's Warming Eve Pageant. In this play the Ponies reduced a bloody and hard time of war, famine and losses to a foal's play with the most important message of them in Celestia's opinion. Friendship defeats all odds, friendship will always win in the end, no matter what or who happens. A wisdom truly worthy of a foal's play, because only the youngest of lives could and should have such a naive innocence and worldview.

Nowadays, the Ponies have no longer a real will to defy the odds, no matter the cost. When it comes down to shedding blood or taking a life, these equines in their current mental state will gladly surrender their life and freedom, before they have to lose their innocence. As long as they can stop violence and have a peaceful solution. They place morals and virtues above life itself and don't understand that sometimes you have to take the lives of the few in order to save the many.

What do they want to show the world? That their households can get burned to the ground, their family and friends slaughtered or enslaved by warmongering, bloodthirsty beings, or just killed by a carnivore, but at least they can say in the end that they didn't lose their innocence? That in the end they had no part in the circles of violence, completely ignoring the fact that they sacrificed everything worth fighting for, because they refused to acknowledge reality?

From such a way of thinking only madness would emerge as the victor.

Ponies of Equestria, love and friendship are the two great bastions you want to hide yourself behind? It is easy to exploit love, because when something or someone hurts or kills the person or creature loved, then the counterpart of that relationship will be crushed by sadness, insanity, rage or just a great void, but maybe you will be able to surprise me. Friendship can have the same ends like love, it depends on the level of the depth of the friendship in question. Some lessons will be painful, that I can assure you.

Virtues are important, they make you to what you are, but following them blindly like a zealot only leads to your own damnation.

And for the heroes of Equestria, the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony. I will test you and show you that life is not a fairy tale, as the human saying goes.

Bearer of Honesty, Applejack. Sometimes in life only the most deceitful lie spares you and others from the most terrible forms of pain, not the honest truth. Before you demand the truth from others, ask yourself: Are you honest in your heart? Are you honest to yourself? Are you willing to sacrifice lives for the sake of being honest?

In the mirror of reality, Honesty never exists without Deceit.

Bearer of Laughter, Pinkamena Diane Pie. Laughter is not always a solution. Sometimes you have to search an alternative path before you lose everything dear to you. Your emotional fragility, just because you don't receive what you wished for and the fact that not every problem can be solved by a simple smile, will be your downfall, if you are not careful. You have to learn to adapt your worldview before you see the smile of your most beloved nevermore.

In the mirror of reality, Laughter never exists without Despair.

Bearer of Kindness, Fluttershy. In order to be kind you have to be cruel sometimes. Kindness will bring you only so far before it will be crushed by individuals who want to exploit you. Let your desire for kindness not tarnish your judgment in the most important of moments.

In the mirror of reality, Kindness never exists without Cruelty.

Bearer of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash. True loyalty is a two-edged sword. You can not be loyal if you won't receive it in return. Sometimes you even have to chose to whom or what you are truly loyal. If the situation arrives, are you loyal to your heart or loyal to your beliefs? The time will come when you have to decide.

In the mirror of reality, Loyalty never exists without Treachery.

Bearer of Generosity, Rarity. Once the Nightmare Forces clouded your judgement and you succumbed to your inner fears. Generosity can only be given if you learn when to use it, otherwise it could mean your end and that of the ones depending on you. Be aware that generosity has its limitations and self-sacrifice in its name could cause greater pain for all than you ever imagined.

In the mirror of reality, Generosity never exists without Greed.

Bearer of Magic, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Your whole life you blindly followed a path Celestia already set for you, like a puppet. Someone who would save her sister where she failed. She decided to grant you Alicornhood without consulting you and still you accepted it, justified in your mind, because your precious princess knows what she does. You were not even aware, to this day, of the oblations and consequences you will have to face. To this day you place her on a high platform and view her as a infallible figurehead of justice. You command great power, I will give you that, but you still have so much to learn. You are not a true ruler, yet. You took the mantle of 'Princess of Friendship', but you will have to learn that the 'Magic of Friendship', as you like to call it, is very limited in many situations. But if you do not adapt, you will fail. Your naive and sheltered way of living will soon meet the real world and your beliefs will be tested. I can promise you, you will face much more than the 'friendship problems' your little map gives you. In the end, every action you take will have consequences, especially as a ruler.

In the mirror of reality, Magic, power and true wisdom never exist without facing the consequences and taking responsibility.

You Ponies have to learn again how the world works outside of your illusionary haven, but in order to learn you need a teacher. I see myself as exactly that. I will give you lessons. Important lessons. What will you Ponies do when something happens that will be beyond the occasional Everfree creature and friendship problem?

Of course I can't forget your closest and most valued allies, Ponies of Equestria. The Crystal Ponies, close relatives of yours and the inhabitants of the Crystal Empire, a domain located in the heart of the Frozen North, will play an important role in the future, too.

The fifth tribe.

And such an interesting little 'Pony tribe' it is, when one desires to count them as such. Nowadays they are Ponies, made out of flesh and blood. But that wasn't always the case.

It happened in the very beginning, before the Crystal Empire even came into existence. When the Crystal Ponies already lived in the Frozen North in their constructed villages and cities. They once were indeed made out of crystal. A special kind of crystal known as Vandyrium. What is indeed interesting is that the same kind of crystal is commonly used by the earth elementals for specially made constructions... but I digress.

With old forms of geomancy, life was breathed into the Crystal Ponies. After their creation, they were bestowed with the important task of fighting, containing and guarding the Frozen North's most vicious plague: The Umbra.

I must confess I was surprised to see these creatures on the plane of Aldara. I was sure that the demons of Tartarus imprisoned them in their domain. These specimens must have escaped somehow. And still, they were here, seeking to bring doom over this world. Beings made of darkness and hatred, the wish of the Umbra to bring suffering could only be surpassed by their cunning behaviour.

It was this calculating intelligence which made the Crystal Ponies what they are today.

A Umbrum is in fact, nothing more than a twisted soul, corrupted by darkness. A specter. In order to cause the most damage, they need a host. A host made out of flesh and blood. That was the very reason why Crystal Ponies were artificially constructed like this in the first place, so that these mad spirits didn't have a victim to parasitize on.

The former guardians were maybe built of crystal, but made as intelligent and emotional as every other average sapient species. Why their creators thought it would be a good idea to implement emotions like compassion, desire and other sentiments into them is, to this day, beyond even my understanding. It was just a matter of time until this addition would one day ultimately lead to the Crystal Ponies' undoing and, by extension, the rise of the Umbra.

Everything was decided by the acts of two 'sisters'. Bonds of 'family' were artificially created by the unaging guardians, but they were seen as most important for them, besides their duty. Not as a bond of blood, but a bond of spirit. One sister wore the name Eternal Duty, whereas the other was named Madrugada Amore. When they and their fellow Ponies hunted hiding Umbra after a hint for a potential small hideout the insane souls tricked them, separating the two in an ambush. It was the cornerstone of the brave Crystal Ponies' downfall.

With help of their dark powers the Umbra created haunting illusions to let the sisters suffer, torturing them with their greatest fears. Sweet promises of knowledge and powers beyond their wildest imaginations were whispered into their minds in order to end the pain. Eternal Duty fell victim and was corrupted in the end. Not in body, but in soul. Madrugada Amore could withstand the temptation long enough to use her magic to escape their foes' dark influence. Hearing something that sounded like a death scream from her beloved sister, she retreated, shattered by the loss of her only family.

Under the guidance of Eternal's knowledge, wisdom and power, the Umbra could use everything to forge a powerful magical artifact. They called it the Crystal Heart. Such an irony of fate that their very creation would ultimately be used against them as the key and led to imprisonment anew. Only this time, under the surface of the Frozen North, hidden from the world's eyes for all eternity.

Powered by hatred, pride, greed, fear and insatiable hunger for power, the Heart was used to transform the Crystal Ponies' bodies from Vandyrium into mortal flesh. Vessels for the Umbra to infest and feed from. In the resulting conflict of the upcoming years between the corrupted Ponies under the leadership, much to the shock and despair of her sister, of a corrupted Eternal Duty and the last remaining guardians, led into battle by Madrugada Amore herself.

Only the crystalline shine and appearance of their coats was a reminder of their former glory.

In their last confrontation Amore managed to steal the Crystal Heart from her sister and filled it with her very essence, her soul, under the usage of her own knowledge. Purifying it in the process from the unholy taint of the Umbra and infusing it instead with love.

Yes, indeed. The Crystal heart is such a useful conduit for emotions and magic, so that it can be used in many ways.

With that last act in life, Madrugada Amore managed to banish the twisted spirits into the depths of Aldara, freeing the remaining Crystal Ponies from an era of persistent terror. Eternal Duty was turned back into a normal Pony, because this was her sister's last wish she sought to fulfil with her last thoughts and power, to free her family.

But to no avail. The strain on her body was far too great, she died.

Truly, mortals are easy to manipulate. Give them a few illusions, tempt them with words which meet their desires and they give in and start following you blindly. Like a sheep with its herder.

Since this day, the chosen guardians protected the prison of the Umbra, and the trinket to banish them anew, the Crystal Heart, with their lives, as it was the key to everything. The world depended on them.

Shortly after, the six founders of Equestria destroyed and banished the Windigos with the help of the Elements of Harmony. But not every one of these products of necromancy could just be defeated, no. Their own king, Amu'sh, fought mercilessly, enraged that so many of his fellow Windigos perished. He played in his own league and could barely be contained by the newly found artifacts. So, in a desperate need of help, they visited the Frozen North after they heard that the Crystal Ponies managed to banish their own plague with the help of the Crystal Heart and decided to seek support for dealing with the undead king.

In the end, the Ponies of Equestria and the Crystal Empire built a tomb, later known as the Tomb of Amu'sh, and banished him with the combined powers of the Elements and the Crystal Heart into his very own grave. They placed the Heart on a pedestal, thinking it would be safe in the depth of the hidden tomb and wouldn't need any further personal protection, in the biggest room and used it as a seal to keep the mad spirit trapped.

A new alliance was formed this day, followed by trade relations and a bond of friendship between the two kingdoms.

Of course, the Ponies, in all their foolishness, chose in a mutual agreement to erase his name and the existence of the Umbra and the Crystal Heart from the annals of history. The remaining survivors, who knew the truth, still, swore to keep their existence a secret from the common Pony. In order to ‘protect’ them from the knowledge of a dark past and because they wanted to grant future generations the possibility of living in undisturbed peace. A desperate act to put the past to sleep.

Such unfathomable naiveté.

These fools really thought their enemies were trapped for all eternity and it was finally over. Oh, how wrong they were.

In the time after their transformation, many Crystal Ponies found love and reproduced. Madrugada Amore was no exception. Many years later, her daughter Amatista Amore, who didn't know anything about Amu'sh, nor the Crystal Heart until her later coronation, because all history records and information about both were erased before her rule, was one day declared the first ruler of the Crystal Ponies, Empress Amatista Amore. She and only the chosen guardians were privy to the true history of their people. Only they knew about the dark shadows of their past.

The formerly glorious empire's capital, Coltawa, was brilliantly built, from a purely strategic point of view. I have to admit that and accolade the first empress and founder of the city for her foresight. The veil under which the empire resides is protected until this very day from its very environment and challenging weather conditions. The Crystal Mountains to the south, the Yaket Range in the east, Mount Everhoof in the north and lastly the mountain chains to the west which would led to Yakyakistan. A naturally created fortress, indeed.

But it doesn't change the fact that the truth, a much valued virtue of you Ponies, succumbed to deceit to keep the Umbras' prison a state secret. One day, your desire to keep everything negative hidden will lead to suffering. It is just a matter of time.

Year after year, the seal that contained the, as the mortals labeled them, ‘Shadow Ponies’ grew weaker and weaker, yet nobody knew the reason. But I do.

Before her coronation, Amatista found the Heart by accident after she fell into a hidden cave on the search for a solution to the more and more lethal weather conditions. She took it with her after she found it on its pedestal in the main room of the tomb, ignoring the written warnings of taking it for one’s own agenda. Amore should have heeded the warning words.

Mortals are such naive fools. Without the Crystal Heart on the pedestal, Amu'sh would one day awaken and break out of his prison to bring Eternal Winter. His powers stirred already. Nowadays the Crystal Heart is the only item that can keep the threatening storms out of the Crystal Empire's capital. The rest of their once glorious domain is nowadays consumed by everlasting snow and ice.

It will be interesting to observe how you Ponies will handle the dangers that await you in the future. Boredom won't be my concern.

But only if you didn't forget that they even existed in the first place, like it is the case with the king of the Windigos. For example the capital's real name and most knowledge was buried in oblivion after the upbringing of a young colt, the last free living, Umbral Pony.

In his childhood he discovered that he was an Umbrum. As such, he had to suffer great pain every year in the duration of the Crystal Fair.

An event that was first introduced by Empress Amatista Amore after she brought back the Crystal Heart and discovered that the Crystal Ponies could utilize it to create a dome of magic for their protection. Since then it was placed in the center of Coltawa to let it regain its power, year after year, through the fair in which the Crystal Ponies infused it with love and hope to keep evil at bay. Not knowing that malevolent forces lurked under their kingdom.

The lack of knowledge about the true mechanisms and the main function of the Crystal Heart is saddening.

Sombra grew up and confronted the descendant of Amatista, Princess Amore.

A Unicorn who took the title of a princess to symbolize her alliance with the already reigning Royal Sisters from Equestria, Luna and Celestia. For this reason, she was titled in her time by everypony as the first Crystal Princess.

In his fury, when he was told that she always knew what he was, he acted like a typical megalomaniacal tyrant. Sombra turned Amore into black crystal, shattered her statue and reigned supreme, enslaving the Crystal Ponies out of spite, blaming them for his pain.

After his unavoidable downfall, he used his magic as an Umbrum and not only took the Crystal Empire into oblivion with him, but erased nearly all knowledge of his subjects from their minds from the time before the millennium long banishment.

Nowadays, after his second defeat, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, a distant relative of Princess Amore, rules the empire as its Princess with her husband Prince Shining Armor. They even have an Alicorn foal, Princess Flurry Heart.

The future will be interesting, indeed.

Since Starswirl the Bearded opened the portal to this world from Equestria for the very first time, the magic of Equis leaks into Terra. Changes happened in the last 5000 years and I could collect some magic over the centuries.

And finally, I gathered enough of my former strength to escape my prison and return. And I have to thank you dearly, Sunset Shimmer. In the moment you forsake Celestia and came through the portal you helped me more than you will ever know.

It was not your best idea to simply jump into another dimension without a plan, or to inform yourself of what awaits you, I presume? A Unicorn who lost her horn and link to her magic, you must have been shocked, hmm? Celestia denied you your wish, your position, your right, your ambitions, because you had no patience for her teachings to this time, no humility.

But you were right in one point, Sunset Shimmer. She denied you, because she didn't trust you, at least in the sense of the empire she built over the last 1000 years. You wanted to be her equal and you wanted change. You wanted to bring Equestria in greater contact with the unknown beyond, rather than the occasional political visit of closest neighbours in closer reach, but that would have meant contact to the world beyond Celestia's utopia, contact with the real world. Where animals have no caretaker, the weather has no schedule and creatures who would just bring the Ponies' demise. That, she couldn't allow, so she dismissed you as her student.

You were too stubborn for your own good. Celestia wanted a loyal Pony who would follow her orders without question and most importantly could be social to make friends and the ability to work with others if necessary. After all, she needed a bearer for the Element of Magic to save her dear sister successfully, because the Elements rejected her after the banishment of Nightmare Moon. Furthermore she needed bearers for all Elements and an antisocial Pony who didn't want to make friends just wouldn't suffice.

Well, she had already a very promising replacement for you with Twilight Sparkle, so she could teach her and prepare her for the 1000th Summer Sun Celebration instead. And look what the former Unicorn achieved, ascension. A Princess of Equestria. She gained what you desired.

Celestia gave her your destiny, right? So you started to formulate a plan, how you could get revenge on Twilight Sparkle and your former mentor for taking your greatest wish away from you. For denying you your desires.

You stole the Element of Magic itself, which contained the greatest of powers from all Elements. You brought an artifact with a level of magic the human world never saw before and let it bleed its power into this world. After that, you put it upon your head and unleashed the power in pure form into the atmosphere, then you were defeated by the very power you sought. Only this time Princess Twilight Sparkle gave me a helping hand and even set free the power of all six Elements of Harmony combined.

With your little fight you decoyed the three sirens, who were banished to this world by Starswirl himself. For 5,000 years they used their pendants to absorb negative energy, but in such small measures that I could not use it to my advantage. But that changed.

I must confess that I am very curious. After your incident the human counterparts of the Element bearers were infused with magic from Aldara, specifically Equestrian magic. They obtained Pony ears and longer hair, that resembles manes and Pony tails. To play music seemed to be the trigger, at least first. You felt such worship for your savior, Twilight Sparkle, because she set you on the right path and showed you the Magic of Friendship. You eagerly called for her help and together you challenged the sirens.

With the stronger influx of Equestrian magic the sirens collected more power in hours, than in the last 5,000 years together. I felt the release of the spells they used to enchant the humans, especially in their last concert, as you took the source of their power and rendered them magicless.

Your new display of magic in this world surpassed even your defeat. A rainbow colored beam of light, powered by seven young girls. I wished you and the Rainbooms could give me an encore.

Afterwards, you and your friends got even more infused with magic.

But naturally something, or, should I say someone, had to acknowledge your reckless behaviour. The human counterpart of Twilight Sparkle, the always curious, scientific mind, wanted to find out what was happening. She invented a device to search for this unknown source of power. Even better, your human friends could harness their magic with just showing off the trait they represented as an Element Bearer in the human world. One after one, Twilight unwillingly stole the magic of all your friends.

After the events of your ironically named Friendship Games you confronted her and told her off. Made her understand she should not mess with things beyond her comprehension. So what could she possibly do after your little display of honesty? She had to understand it even more than before you reproved her, she really just wanted to understand and could not simply accept defeat in the knowledge department. So she unleashed the collected magic and once again someone, with the right push from you, unleashed the whole power of the Elements into the human world.

She tore apart the dimensional barrier between Aldara and Earth. Through these tears more unrefined magic bled into this world. Afterwards, you took upon yourself the same magic and transformed into something greater. Sadly, you held back immensely, because you didn't want to hurt her even remotely.

It seems you too have much to learn. Sunset Shimmer. I have to teach you that you have to take responsibility. If you truly wish to learn from your past you have to learn. A continuity in your learning process is that you always search for excuses. You succumbed to your own ambitions, but Twilight Sparkle wanted to make you understand that it wasn't your fault. And after her human counterpart nearly ripped apart the dimensional barrier you made the same mistake as her. Instead of giving her counterpart help to really understand and to learn from her decisions, you blamed others for her faults. Felt that the reasons that all this happened were peer pressure and this petty principal.

You have to learn that true understanding comes from owning up to your mistakes and not from giving the blame to others alone.

I had nearly enough magic for my escape. Fortunately for me, the human Twilight was so friendly as to destroy the statue, in which the portal is located. More magic found its way into this domain.

At this point you, with the help of the ones you call friends, released more than enough magic into the world of man. Animals started to change. Creatures humans only knew as mere myths came into existence. They hide themselves in the moment, but they already hunt and already humans paid the price. Plants grew and developed new abilities. Magical abilities, Sunset. Places, ruins, cities long forgotten start to awaken from their slumber. New races are created in that very moment, or already exist. The rule of man over the entire world is over. Things the humans took great pride in will cease to exist.

The magic of this world needed a push in the right direction. You helped a lot to deliver it. Especially the Everfree Forest is one of the places in this world with the highest concentration of magic now. Yes, the magic of Terra awoke and the upcoming changes can not be stopped.

The last piece of help from you came today.

In the Everfree Forest you and your friends discovered new abilities. They were afraid of these new developments. An understandable reaction, mostly from your new friend, the human Twilight Sparkle, out of fear she could succumb to her inner demons once again. But you pulled through and convinced all of them to use their new abilities to the fullest. The geodes from the cave were the last key to my freedom. The freed power of this insignificant woman Gloriosa was just a bonus.

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, six mares took upon them the burden of six magical artifacts, originating from a crystalline tree, in the Everfree Forest, in a cave.

In the human world you found not six but even seven little versions of the Elements, originating from a stone stump in a cave. In a process of growth and again located in this world's version of the Everfree Forest. Is this what you mortals call fate? A repeat of history? Terra's version of the Elements of Harmony?

Well, not exactly harmony. Humans are more in tune with positives and negatives aspects of life, more the Elements of _____________, don't you think?

And you got your own Element, a seventh. What Element do you represent, Sunset Shimmer? Or is it even a real Element? And why should the human world have seven Elements and not six like Aldara? Who knows, maybe it means something different for you?

Once you looked into the mirror Celestia showed you and saw yourself as a princess, but you were blinded by your own ambitions. Maybe your time of greatness, your time to shine, to mark history, is not over and has yet to come?

One day we will meet, Sunset Shimmer, until then I will remember the help you gave me. I always repay my debts.

It is time...

It was a dark, stormy night on Terra. The clouds were painted in a deep black, an unnatural shade of black, like it was created. If someone asked the witnesses of this terror, many of them would say that this fateful night the sky knew which shape it had to take. It rained in enormous amounts, only to be supported in its effect by upsetting thunder.

In the middle of the Celestial Sea a great maelstrom appeared out of nowhere. It reached deep down to the ground of the sea, maybe even deeper. Suddenly an entity floated out of the maelstrom. It looked up into the sky and with a wave of its hand the storm, which devastated the sea, calmed down, but the maelstrom stayed. This being released massive amounts of magic and evoked the sleeping powers of the world of man. An awakening beyond every event ever witnessed by humans.

It was a beginning and an end in the same time.

"Finally, I am free," it whispered into the winds with an ethereal voice. The being channeled power to summon its strongest and most dangerous vassals.

Five circles, powered by ancient forms of magic, appeared around it with symbols in the language of the elementals. To its left the summoning circle of Relentless Air, on the right side the circle of Unforgiving Thunder, above aroused the circle of Everlasting Fire, below the entity came into existence the circle of Unyielding Water and in front the circle of Unbending Earth. Followed by incantations in an unknown tongue.

"Hear us elements of both worlds.

"We evoke you and unbind your will.

"We unleash you and set you free.

"May your fire be everlasting.

"May your water be unyielding.

"May your thunder be unforgiving.

"May your earth be unbending.

"May your wind be relentless.

"We evoke you and unbind your will.

"We unleash you and set you free.

"Hear our wish and bring change.

"Hear our will and awake.

"Follow our call and serve as one."

Five elementals listened and followed its words and arrived from their home, the Elemental Planes, in front of the entity, standing now on their representing summoning circles.

The still clouded night sky encased the five beings in shadows, not much details were seen, but some things were recognizable.

There was the elemental of fire. It had a bipedal, humanoid form, like all five of them, made out of blazing flames, but was much more massive and taller than a human. It wore a blood red colored, mottled full body knight armor from the bottom to the top and was at least ten feet tall. It had unholy eyes in its sockets in glowing red.

The elemental of water had nearly the same body structure out of calm, ocean blue water, but it looked slimmer more agile and wore only armor around its lower legs, feet, torso and wrists in a violet coloration. It was 8 feet tall and had glowing dark blue eyes.

The elemental of thunder had a body made of golden lightning, it looked even slightly slimmer as the water elemental, but taller than the fire elemental with at least 12 feet, a silvern full body armor without the helmet and blazing orange eyes.

The elemental of earth was the tallest of all with 15 feet and a body much more impressive than the fire elemental in its girth and no armor at all. But not less protected, because its body was made of magical black colored Terraphyte and vibrant yellow eyes.

The elemental of air was 9 feet tall, had a similar body structure to the elemental of water and was made of visible white, swirling wind with black armor around its hands, feet and chest. Its eyes were a radiant emerald green.

All armors had symbols welded in themselves from an alloy, only to be found in the Elemental Planes, named Zyphorium.

The elemental of fire stepped forward and asked their master in the language of the elementals, known as Kalamdur, "For 10,000 years we were waiting for your return. What are your orders?"

The elemental of thunder asked curiously as it looked around them, "The dimension of your prison. I can feel the magic of this realm awakening. Do your plans include this world, too, my Ancestor?"

A brief nod was at first the only answer, "Indeed, they do. I watched the events of both worlds and we have much to do, my dear generals," the entity explained neutrally and looked upon its followers, "General Everflame." It focused the fire elemental, "General Ano'yil." The air elemental, "General Imperion." The thunder general, "General Aquaz." The water elemental. And finally it addressed the earth general, "General Gramrok."

The being turned around and stared into the horizon with an unnerving calmness, "First I have to regain my former strength before I go deeper into my plans. But before we search for what is mine, we will give Earth and Aldara a taste of what we are capable of, testing them."

Aquaz bowed gracefully and a soothing voice, sounding like pouring water, replied, "As you wish."

It was silent for a few moments before the entity crossed its arms, as if a final decision was made, "It is time to end this age and to start anew. New creatures will roam the worlds, new places will emerge, new knowledge learned, new lands be discovered, all of them will have much to learn in these times of amendment. They have to adapt and I will give them helpful lessons for their future endeavours. I will make those, who chose to forget, remember."

With its power the entity awoke the last slumbering remains of Earth's magic and let it do its work, the final changes began. The being summoned a portal to bring it to its next destination.

Before it vanished, an announcement and a statement was heard over the winds of change, "A new age has begun!"

Author's Note

Edited version uploaded: 09/22/17
Proofreader: Javarod

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

I hope you will like this story. As you can guess, I thought about a much wider foundation for this universe, so Book 1 is just the start.

That being said, enjoy the ride. :yay:

Leave a comment, advise, opinions or otherwise constructive criticism for me, all is desired.

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 1 - Novel Order

On a school bus in the far west of the Celestial Sea, Sunset Shimmer and her friends were still very excited about their adventures in Camp Everfree, especially the former Unicorn.

"Can somebody please say, 'Best Camp ever!'?" Rainbow Dash asked, energized.

"Best Camp ever! Yippie!" Pinkie Pie shouted zealously, "I'm so nervouscited!"

She didn't know how to feel, excited, because of all the things they saw in the Camp and and their new magic. Or nervous, because they had to leave so early to go on sightseeing tour, before they finally reached Canterlot and the hyperactive girl didn't know how to explain her family her new destructive powers, yet.

Of course her big sister Maud would find it hilarious.

"Darling, I'm sitting right beside you. Please try to contain yourself," Rarity scolded her pink friend lightly, "Still, I must say, our new outfits after these 'magical transformations' are simply divine. And the necklaces give them a certain touch. Already they've blessed me with inspirations for new designs," she explained happily.

"Come on, Rares. Ah reckon these fancy stones are kind of good looking, yeah, but Ah won't participate again in yer fashion shows any time soon," Applejack informed her friend in annoyance.

Suddenly Pinkie's cell phone made noises like a funny sounding cannon, to tell her that she got a message, "Uhhhh, my big sister Maud sent me a message! Let's see... she asked me to give you her regards and says that I should tell you, Applejack, that they're called 'geodes', a specific sort of gem. Not simply stones."

"How did she-?"

"Maud Sense," the younger Pie sibling quickly interrupted Applejack's question, "She knows when you say something wrong about minerals. Maud is a super-duper rock expert. She is gooood. I mean I can never beat her in 'scissor-stone-paper', she always wins with choosing 'rock'. Only her pet, Boulder, is a real challenge for her, he usually makes the hardest choices in this game and his facial expressions are hard to read. Boulder can play poker, too, you can never read his thoughts."

"OK. First of all, I refuse to believe that your sister has something like a 'Maud Sense' without any scientific proof. Secondly, I know about the rules of this game Pinkie Pie, and I'm certain that 'paper' always beats 'rock'. It is literally in the rules!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, rolling her eyes at the impossibility of such things.

"Oh, silly Twilight, you can not beat Maud's rock. Her rock beats you, always, and her Maud-Sense absolutely makes sense! Sometimes you just have to believe! I mean everyone knows that. Duh," she explained, as if it was an unshakable fact of life. Her friends and fellow classmates just looked at her and tried to stop an oncoming headache.

"Um, Sunset? You didn't say anything since we started our way back. Are you alright? Do you want to talk about something? If you don't mind, that is," Fluttershy asked in her caring, gentle voice.

Sunset Shimmer smiled fondly, "It's alright, Fluttershy. I don't mind. I'm just so incredibly... happy." She looked around to make sure that nobody listened for the next part, "As you all know, I'm originally a Unicorn and-"

But before she could say more, Twilight intervened in confusion, "What?!" She lowered her voice after receiving a scolding stare, "Sorry... you want to tell me that you are from that mirror world too? Like my counterpart from another dimension, who is actually a magical Pony princess of an entire nation? You never told me about it!" Twilight pouted with inflated cheeks.

A sheepish smile adorned the disguised mare's face, "I guess it never came up. But yes, I was born in Equestria as a Unicorn and came to this world to... you know... the whole 'raging-she-demon-business' I told you about?" Sunset asked her friend quietly, so that the other students didn't hear about her heritage.

"Yes, you did. Excuse my behaviour Sunset, I just didn't expect that." The book-loving teenager giggled, "I can't believe it. It's kind of a very big deal to know that I'm best friends with a magical talking Pony in human form," Twilight answered in embarrassment.

The amber colored girl rolled her eyes in good humor, "Don't worry Twilight, it’s fine. Where was I? Oh yes. As I said, I'm a Unicorn by birth and since I left Equestria I lost contact with my inner magic without my horn. But now I have magic again. I feel as if I found something I once lost, like I'm whole again. Sure, it's not really what I expected, because I can see memories, hear thoughts and look into the mind of persons I touch, but still..." Sunset could see an intensely smiling Pinkie Pie out of the the corner her eye. The party planner held her arm in her friend's reach as if to invite her to an never ending ride of insanity without return with a challenging shine in her eyes, "No, I will not look into your head again. There is only so much of your... 'unique' mind I can take."

"Oh Sunny, you old charmer~" Pinkie thanked playfully.

The transformed equine snorted in mild amusement and expressed her thoughts to her friends, "I just hope we can all learn more about our new magic and maybe finally find an explanation on how it works here in this world."

They girls listened and looked at her with interest.

"Awesome! I mean, since the Fall Formal I always wanted to fly and now we can just call our powers whenever we want. We are like superheroes, who kick villains into the next week," Rainbow Dash said, giddy with thirst for action, "Go, Wondercolts! Now we totally can beat the next threat from Equestria without breaking a sweat."

"Eeyup, Ah think we can handle things better now," Applejack agreed smugly with her rival/friend.

"But this time I won't become arrogant, selfish and prideful again from having magic at my disposal," the redhead swore to herself, unheard by her friends, "Maybe you are right girls, but we shouldn't think that we will have no problems anymore, just because of our new abilities," she pointed out.

"Sunset is right, Darlings. Overconfidence is something unbecoming of a lady,". Rarity supported in a refined tone.

"You are no fun..." Rainbow Dash sulked.

After a few minutes of silence, Vice-Principal Luna went up to the group of friends and started a conversation, "Girls, I just wanted to thank you again in the name of the students, my sister and I. Although, you have to hide your new powers to the best of your abilities. We don't need more mayhem in the future and it gets harder and harder to let the public believe that all events since the Fall Formal were accidents and special effects from computer programs. We still have no idea how giant walls of wood out of nowhere could be excused with something else than 'magic'."

Sunset Shimmer thought about her words,"Vice-Principal Luna, I understand your concerns and yes, we have to be careful. But there is something I think we need to do and I want to address. We have new abilities from the geodes-" she looked at Pinkie Pie, who grinned in satisfaction, "-and they have similarities to artifacts from Equestria. There is a set of six objects we Ponies call the Elements of Harmony and from what I understood from Princess Twilight's letters the Elements originated from a crystalline tree, named the Tree of Harmony. They can be found in the Equestrian version of the Everfree Forest."

Luna raised an eyebrow, "You have an Everfree Forest in your world as well?" Sunset nodded, "Strange..."

The amber teenager shrugged her shoulders, "I know it's very hard to believe, but true. You wouldn't believe how nervous I was when I heard the first time that we would make this camping trip in the Everfree Forest. My home's version is much more dangerous and full of predators."

"How does our new fancy powers play into them equation?" Applejack enquired in bafflement. She groaned after the farmer noticed the curious looks she received, "For Pete's Sake! Laugh it up, will ya? Yes, the cowgirl knows big words, too."

Sunset laughed shortly, "Sorry Applejack. But to answer your question, Gloriosa found these geodes in a cave on a crystalline stump in the Everfree Forest of this world in comparison to my own, so I have the theory that we might have found the equivalent of the Elements for Terra. I'm not entirely sure why we actually have seven and not six Elements, but that is something we have to find out. Besides, I've had a... feeling since we started our way back to Canterlot High. That we need to learn and understand our magic for the future. Magical disturbances became stronger and appear in smaller time frames, we have to be prepared."

She looked around and noticed that every person in the group looked at her in wonder, "What? I was once a protégé in magic and prized pupil of a powerful Alicorn. I learned a thing or two about the mechanisms of magic-related incidents along with their meanings and I don't feel comfortable with our situation of navigating through the unknown," she defended herself dryly.

Without any warning the bus driver slammed on the brakes and the students cried out in shock, but luckily nobody was harmed. Suddenly there was an inhuman scream, like from an animal, none ever heard before.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Principal Celestia demanded from the bus driver.

"So-sorry, Principal Celestia, but a-a... thing just crossed the street out of nowhere and I didn't know what that even was!" he stammered in shock. Before he could say more a giant white claw smashed through the front of the bus and pulled the screaming man out, violently. The students, too shocked to comprehend what they just witnessed, just stared at the windshield's hole with blood on its sharp edges, where their driver once was.

"Wh-what was that?!" a student whispered fearfully. That was the moment the silence ended. All teenagers screamed or talked with each other, not sure what just happened. Except a certain Unicorn-turned-human, who was nervous as well, but she could have sworn that the being that took the driver was kind of familiar.

Before the situation escalated any more, Vice-Principal Luna shouted out loud, "SILENCE!". The volume of her shout ended all discussions and the students looked upon Luna with hope, she or Celestia would tell them what to do next.

"Whatever is happening here, we have to stay calm and-" one of her students had other plans.

"The gr-great and pow-powerful Trixie is calm. She just-"

Suddenly, gut-wrenching screams were heard. The driver, presumably.

"-the scared and terrified Trixie just wants to go home!" Trixie Lulamoon exclaimed with tears in her eyes.

Sunset Shimmer made a mad dash for the door, but someone took her arm before she could leave. It was Principal Celestia, "Sunset, no! We don't know what lurks out there! It could get you, too! You students are my responsibility and I won't let any harm come to you!" she announced in conviction for all to hear.

Rainbow Dash talked to herself sarcastically, much louder than intended, "Yes, because that worked out soooo well during the Fall Formal, the Battle of the Bands, the Friendship Games or our time at Camp Everfree. Come on, what is she thinking? Does she want to 'talk' whatever that was into submission?" Only now she noticed the shocked stares of her fellow students, her gaping friends, the barely containable laughing fit of Pinkie Pie, a twitching Celestia and a very angry Vice-Principal Luna, "Uh, I mean, you are right Principal Celestia! What is your plan?"

The members of the Rainbooms rarely facepalmed this hard before in life.

"I think, Ms. Dash, that we should stay, trying to call for help with our cell phones and wait," the principal shared her plan cooly.

Sunset tapped the tall woman on the shoulder to get her attention, "Principal Celestia, I know you want to protect us, but we have no proof of whether the bus driver is alright or not. We have to search for him and we can't just abandon someone in need of help. The girls and I... we have these new magical powers and we can do great things with it. We are able to protect others, we proved ourselves time and time again and I'm confident we can handle whatever awaits us. So please, just let us help. It is the right thing to do," she explained, dedicated and determined. Her speech encouraged her friends, previously nervous and afraid because of the sudden event of great violence, and stood beside her, waiting for the principal's decision.

Celestia looked for at least a minute into the young woman's eyes, it seemed like she searched for something, an answer. As if she tried to look into the depths of her student's soul. Eventually she came to a conclusion, "Alright, Sunset. I will trust you." Before Luna could voice any objections about this possible suicide mission, Celestia silenced her younger sister with a hand gesture, an unspoken promise to talk about it later, "But you have to be careful and return to the bus immediately if it gets too dangerous for you. I could not forgive myself if something happened to you." She looked at her students with a sad expression on her face.

Sunset nodded her head firmly and looked at her friends, "We have to go, now. I don't want to force you or something, so it will be your choice. No hard feelings." She smiled at every single one of her friends, one after another, and went on, "I think I have an idea of what creature took the driver, and if my assumptions are correct we will have much bigger problems, because I have no idea how it could come to this world."

"Well, Darling, I can't say tracking a horrible monster in this muddy forest will be good for my attire. But I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we won't abandon you now, after all the things we endured together," Rarity said encouragingly.

"Ye-yes. I know I'm not very brave or strong, but I want to help my friends and others in need. I could not possibly just sit here and worry about you girls," Fluttershy told them with rare courage in her words.

"We both know without my awesomeness you would be lost and besides, we are a team. I would never abandon my friends," Rainbow Dash bragged, pumping her fist into the air with enthusiasm for emphasis.

"They're right, Sugarcube. Ah wouldn't be an Apple if Ah just let ya go and hunt this varmint alone. And m' strength could be handy," the country girl agreed wholeheartedly.

"I know I've only been a part of Canterlot High and friends with all of you for a short time, but I want to help you. Plus, imagine all the things we could learn! A new creature from another world? I hope I have enough paper for taking notes," Twilight ranted about the scientific possibilities and other things.

"Don't worry Shimmy, your Auntie Pinkie Pie is on the case and in no time we will find this Grumpy Mc Meanie Pants and afterwards I will give a 'We-saved-a-man-from-being-eaten-and-found-a-new-creature-party'!” Pinkie Pie assured with her usual vigor.

Fluttershy glanced with narrowed eyes at Pinkie Pie and muttered something inaudible under her breath.

Sunset's eyes shimmered with tears, "Thank you. You are the best friends I could hope for." The girls wrapped their arms around each other in a big group hug one last time and left the bus, right into the unknown dangers of the Everfree Forest.

Vice-Principal Luna looked worried after them, until they disappeared out of sight. One moment later, she walked up to the principal, almost touching noses, "Sister! What is wrong with you?! First you refuse to let them go to keep them safe, as it should be and suddenly you just give them your permission to leave!? Their caretakers will have our heads when they die! We both know that... whatever grabbed the driver was surely a predator. A very dangerous predator, from what we witnessed. This man will already be dead and these young girls, teenagers no less, won't find anything else than the eaten, bloody remains of this poor soul and a creature which may still be hungry!" the midnight blue woman shouted in anger.

Celestia listened to the words her younger sibling said and felt Luna's emotions during her speech over their deep bonds. She sighed fatefully, "Lulu, I'm completely aware of the consequences of my decision, but since the Fall Formal the problems concerning magic became greater and greater. We have no magical abilities, unlike the girls, to handle the threats on our own. Worse, we even always end up completely helpless at the mercy of the aggressor. It makes me furious to know that I can't do anything to help, or that I have to count on our students to keep us safe. Besides, after the Fall Formal incident I had a long talk with Sunset Shimmer about herself, because I always had the feeling that something wasn't right about her and her files."

"Oh? Pray tell. I certainly wasn't invited to this conversation," Luna commented sourly.

Celestia lowered her head in a remorseful manner, "I apologize, but Sunset requested that her true identity remains hidden to protect the portal. She told me many things about her home, Equestria, and that she is officially 26 years old and not just a normal girl. Sunset Shimmer is an adult in her society, but trapped in the body of a teenager in our world," she explained with sadness in her voice.

"Tia, I didn't know... but why didn't you say anything? Regardless, that won't excuse the other students." But that would explain it for her why her sister was on first-name basis with the amber teenager and stopped calling her ‘Ms. Shimmer’ since the Fall Formal.

"You know me, Luna. I don't like to talk about the private life of our students, if possible. I trust Sunset Shimmer. She has something about her that makes me want to believe in her. She helped Princess Twilight with the Dazzlings, defended us in the Friendship Games on her own at the end in this... angelic form and now Camp Everfree. Her friends are teenagers, maybe young adults in mind. That I can hear and see. But Sunset Shimmer is something else. After Princess Twilight helped her she became stronger in body and spirit. She was no longer a school bully, because Sunset found something she needed in her life, friendship. And learned that you will never be truly happy with a life of solitude. I see great amounts of untouched potential in her. She finally learned humility, now she has to use her powers for something greater than herself. We have to trust her," Celestia declared with an absolute faith and dedication.

Luna smiled knowingly at her sister, whereas the students listened especially to the last part of their conversation, which didn't go over their heads in opposite to the rest and looked with respect at their principal, touched by her conviction.

One student couldn't contain his feelings any more and let it all out, "YEAHHHH-HA-HA-WAAAHA-HA-HA," cried Bulk Biceps in all the masculinity he could muster.

Sunset led their team into the forest in search for the bus driver. The girls followed traces they found. After that, they decided to follow the direction of the now silenced screams. These traces came in the form of giant footprints, but nobody knew what kind of animal made them. Clouds started to gather in an unusually short amount of time. The sky hadn't any 20 minutes ago and now it had started to rain.

They lost the tracks fast, a problem the most patient person in the group pointed out soon, "Come on! We already searched like three hours or something and found nothing!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed in sheer boredom, "Where are the footprints? I would take other hints, too. Anything at all! I mean, we are going in the right direction, right?" She received annoyed grunts in return.

The forest was sparse in its number of trees at the beginning of their quest, but now tree after tree, and dense undergrowth to boot, made it difficult to wander the Everfree Forest. Thick beeches and firs made up a big part of the environment in the moment, and some odd plants were around, too. In the distance, for example, was an entire open field of beautiful, mysterious flowers with a fluorescent blue color, Sunset Shimmer could have sworn that these plants looked familiar, but from where? In some places the trees blocked out the sun and without their cell phones they might have thought it would be night already.

An unnatural cold started to crawl up their spines and not only from the rain. It gave them the creeps.

"Rainbow Dash, don't be like that. We can't give up now just because we have no clues. He counts on us," Twilight scolded her friend for her impatience.

"Ah reckon we should hurry up. Ma' cellie tells me its t'be afternoon soon. Ah sure hope the poor fella is still kickin'," Applejack voiced her concerns.

"Applejack-" Rarity started to reprimand, "-don't even think about it. This option is maybe in the realm of possibilities, but we shouldn't lose hope. We have to stay positive. A lady of class, such as myself, needs to concentrate on the moment, Darling. The-" she looked upon her high heels, "-my footwear is absolutely RUINED by all this mud! That is the WORST! POSSIBLE! THING!" the fashionista mourned about the loss of her shoes. They shall be missed and never be forgotten.

Sunset rolled her eyes at her friends' antics. Then she had an idea how they might find the driver and the creature, "Hey Fluttershy, now that you can talk to animals could you maybe ask them if they saw anything out of the ordinary?"

"I can try, but something is definitely not right in this forest. Normally you can encounter animals everywhere, but here is only... silence. I didn't see a single little critter since we started to walk in the Everfree. That is not natural and it makes me nervous, but I'm more worried about all the animals. Something seems to scare them away. They are hiding, Sunset," Fluttershy replied in growing fear. "But I still want to try, if that is OK with you."

She started to concentrate on animals, like in Camp Everfree, where the birds landed upon her arms and head, after the thought about all the cute little critters she could encounter, even if it was more an accident at first. It was as if they knew they could trust her and that the animal-lover meant no harm. Then she heard it, faint wing beats in the distance. They became louder in time, but it sounded, as if they belonged to a very big bird and finally they saw it in all its glory.

The most beautiful and regal being they ever saw entered their sight. With a wingspan of at least two meters it descended upon them. it had a plumage of a brilliant royal purple over its entire body and vivid orange on the chest and stomach. Its body looked like it was encased in blazing purple fire, luminous green eyes greeted them in close distance. The beak and claws had a colorset, made in the image of the sun at dawn, in a brilliant maroon. Sunset Shimmer remembered this proud animal to her former teacher's pet phoenix, Philomena.

"Oh my... it is simply divine! This beauty, this coloration and such marvelous plumage!" Rarity gushed over the mythical bird.

"Wow Fluttershy, you are a phoenix-tamer! what comes next, a dragon?" Pinkie asked her shy friend in glee.

"That is incredible! Where did this phoenix come from Sunset? Equestria? How many of them are here? What subspecies could we find? So many questions!" Twilight exclaimed in eagerness to learn.

"No," the amber teenager simply stated.

"What do ya mean, sugarcube?" Applejack inquired.

"I mean that this phoenix did not exist in Equestria and I read a lot about them, because they were and still are my favourite animals. I never read or heard about a kind of phoenix with such an appearance. But I'm not sure about it. Fluttershy, please ask him where he came from and why."

"Uhm, Mr. Phoenix, sir? Can you tell me about you, please? Where did you come from and why do you want to help us? AndcouldImaybepetyoubecauseyourplumagelookssofluffyplease?" Fluttershy asked with a squee sound, the last question with such enthusiasm and at a speed, only known by Pinkie Pie.

Twilight gave her friend a notepad and a pen for important information. The phoenix 'talked' with Fluttershy and she listened for the next few minutes, making notes when she thought something was very important. After the end of the ‘conversation’, she petted the phoenix and thanked it, "Thank you very much, Mrs. Phoenix. I will talk to my friends and tell them what you said to me."

"Mrs. Phoenix?" Rainbow Dash inquired curiously.

Fluttershy turned around to face her friends and started to explain herself, "Yes, Rainbow, that was the first thing she told me. She is a female phoenix and came to us, because she felt that we needed help, but I don't have any idea how she knew it. What she told me is very important and it is hard to understand how all that is even possible, but I hope I can tell it right with the notes I made," Fluttershy started nervously.

“Don’t worry my dear. You can start whenever you feel ready,” Rarity said kindly.

"Uhm, If you don't mind, don't interrupt me please, because I'm not so good at telling stories and answering questions at the same time, alright?" Fluttershy pleaded and the girls agreed, "Well, from what Mrs. Phoenix told me she wasn't always a phoenix, she once was a buzzard, but some time ago she changed. If I understood her correctly, this happened around the time of the Friendship Games. She and many, many other animals were changed by something. Perhaps magic? She said that it felt like something, well, awoke inside of her and that's what started the change. Once the changes were complete, Mrs. Phoenix had a strong urge to see the world. Safe to say, she saw that many things had indeed changed. Normal animals transformed into new creatures she never saw before and plants evolved from her description."

"What kind of description did she give ya? Perhaps we'll know what animals she was talkin' about and they are only unknown to her. Where is the gal comin' from?" Applejack tried to understand.

Fluttershy was surprised by the much too calm exterior of her friend, she was a nervous wreck on the inside, "Y-Yes, you are right. They turned into other mythological animals. Manticores, timberwolves, cockatrices, phoenixes, and many others. I have no idea what most are, but some of them scare me very much alone from their depiction. Mrs. Phoenix came, if I understood her description of her home correctly, originally from the southern regions of Prance. She said something else I don't understand... the elementals awoke," Fluttershy finished her thrilling story.

Rarity fainted.

All were stunned by what they heard. How was that possible? Did someone else find Equestrian magic and caused all this? What were these 'elementals'?

"Ok, seriously girls, that is all levels of freaky. I mean, are we really talking about a magical incident that affects the whole freaking world? Not only Canterlot High or the area nearby? One part of me thinks that's the best thing ever. Another part of me is worried, a little bit," Rainbow Dash broke the silence in an attempt to be brave.

"A little? A little?! Are you kidding?! That changes everything! Not only are fauna and flora transforming into new species at neck-breaking speed, what defies all laws of evolution by the way, but mythological animals no less! And something much worse is going on here! I can feel it, and it's all my fault! Mrs. Phoenix said that it happened shortly after the Friendship Games. What can we do?! What should we do? Is there anything we can do to reverse it?!" Twilight panicked and hyperventilated heavily over the whole situation, near a mental breakdown. Sunset slapped her lightly in the face with her right hand.

"Twilight, snap out of it! Worrying yourself into a frenzy won't help us to solve this. Besides, it is not your fault. Cinch blackmailed you into participating in the first place and threatened to destroy your future if you didn't comply." The amber girl looked at the rest of the group and noticed the visible tension on their faces, "OK, girls. I have to say that this is much, much bigger than I thought or feared. The moment we are back in Canterlot City I must write to Princess Twilight about it and together we can come up with a plan." Sunset summarized her thoughts about the whole mess. She focused on the animal whisperer, "Fluttershy, please ask Mrs. Phoenix if she saw the driver or the creature that took him and if she could bring us to its lair."

This was much beyond all other threats they encountered, but with the Magic of Friendship they could overcome the incoming storm, right?

"Sugarcube, Ah need to return to Sweet Apple Acres to make sure that Big Mac, Applebloom and Granny Smith are safe. If 'n these changes are happening world wide Ah have to protect ma’ kin," Applejack intervened worriedly in her friend's plan.

Rarity, back from her very short unconsciousness, put a hand on the cowgirl's shoulder, "Darling, please calm yourself. I'm sure your family is fine. They are safe on your farm. Trust me, I'm worried about Sweetie Belle myself, but we have to see the bigger picture, dear. From what I understood of the facts, animals and plants are turning right now into beings that were only known in fiction and mythology. Sunset is right; we have to find the poor man and afterwards we will return to the bus.”

Applejack looked at her friend with a slightly shocked expression at how much sense that made and blushed a little for losing her head so easily.

The fashionista continued slyly, “Please, don't look so surprised. And give me some credit. My dream always was to work in the world of fashion later, so important details are of utmost importance for me. I have to look at the greater picture and can't waste my inspiration for minor things too much. The world of fashion doesn't wait until you made up your mind, or you will be as popular as last season garments."

"Rares is right, AJ. Chillax, will ya? Let's go and together we will kick the ass of whatever kidnapped the bus driver, in ten seconds flat. But what I don't understand is, how can this spread so easily? I thought our military and the military forces from the rest of the world, would just shoot anything dangerous, or something like that. Shouldn't that be all over the news?" Rainbow Dash asked in a confused manner.

Sunset answered her friend's question with her own theory, "I'm not entirely sure why we didn't hear about military actions, Rainbow, because something like that can no longer be kept a secret. That's impossible when the changes are happening around the entire world. But my theory is... magic. No, hear me out. You humans underestimate the power and influence magic can have. There are many kinds of magic in existence and lot of those kinds are not even known to Ponykind, because most sapient races have their own and it can't be copied by others."

"That's interesting and all, but what does that mean for us? I have a serious case of knee-twitching, hand-shaking and tummy-rumbling. My Pinkie-Sense could try to tell me now that something very bad will happen soon... or I'm just hungry and low on sweets," Pinkie Pie added humorously in an attempt to lighten the mood.

The results weren't satisfying at all.

The former Unicorn continued, "Well, you have to know that we Ponies assign spells and specific types of magic into its own 'tier', which exist all together in a system we call: Clover's Caste. We can use magic for example to levitate, like Twilight does, we can create shields for defense, like Rarity, or transform objects into something else. Feats are possible like invisibility, standard magic beams, the forming of pacts with familiars and many other things. Before I came to this world I visited the forbidden section in the Royal Library in the Equestrian Canterlot many times and learned a lot of things about 'Dark Magic'. I never understood why Princess Celestia and all the other Ponies called some types of magic that.”

Twilight raised an hand after hearing the last part and was about to ask a question, but Sunset was faster.

“Yes, Twilight, in Equestria Principal Celestia is Princess Celestia, the immortal ruler of Equestria, who raises and lowers the sun and has for at least 5000 years now. Vice-Principal Luna is a princess, too, and the co-ruler with her sister. She raises and lowers the moon." The bookworm opened her mouth anew, ready to tell how impossible that was, "Yes Twilight, I'm well aware, that every book of physics has to keep its distance from Equestria. One day I will tell you more about my homeworld, but not now.” That caused the bibliophile in question to lower her raised hand, closing her mouth in acceptance, for now.

"Can you read minds without touching anybody?!" Pinkie screamed in excitement.

The amber girl ignored the question, “Back to what I wanted to say, in the so called 'Dark Magic' section were spells for things like changing one’s appearance-" Rarity's eyes sparkled like stars, "-Then there's the tier known as Domination. For example having someone under you as a thrall would be the most nefarious purpose of this kind of magic. Otherwise you could for example just ask a criminal for important informations in a case of abduction, or simply put others to sleep. There are offensive spells for battle, too, but I didn't read that much about it, because I always had to be careful to not get caught. I only researched that much there, because I was obsessed with the mirror portal and wanted to understand how it worked."

Twilight gave Sunset a sympathetic smile.

Tears of regret accumulated themselves in the corners of her eyes, "The princess always refused to answer my questions, so I disobeyed her and you all know how that ended," Sunset finished her explanation for the girls. "My point is, magic has a very high abundance in its purposes and human technology is fine and dandy, that is a fact without a question. But at the end of the day weapons in this world are not the most effective means against foes who use it."

The group looked at their friend and mulled over her words in their heads. She was right, magic can in many ways, outsmart normal weapon technology in the world and partially ignore the laws of physics like they didn't matter anymore. Still, the biggest and most destructive weapons could surely harm most beings, but even then, why did they never hear about anything in the newspaper or the internet already?

They followed the phoenix, who agreed to aid them after Fluttershy asked nicely. Luckily for them, on her way, Mrs. Phoenix saw a strange creature taking something into a cave, a quarter of a mile south from their position. In the afternoon, the rain calmed down to a drizzle, they found the giant hideout and decided to investigate. The respect inducing animal left them after they all showed her their gratitude.

"Alright girls, it seems we found our mysterious creature's lair. Time to get serious," Rainbow Dash boasted determinedly.

"Hold your horses, Nelly-" Sunset looked offended, "-we have t' make a plan. We can't just storm in," Applejack explained to her long-time rival, "Sunset, do ya have an idea?"

"Yes, we will stay together closely. You, Rarity and me are in the front for protection. Rarity will walk between the two of us so she can use her shield to save us if needed. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie will build the back of the group for fast intervention and Twilight and Fluttershy are in the middle, because Twilight can levitate things and Fluttershy will be our eyes. And for her own protection,” she thought nervously, "Let’s go."

The Rainbooms concentrated and the geodes around their necks started to glow in a bright light. After it ceased completely, the girls wore the same attires they had after their fight against Gloriosa in Camp Everfree.

"I can't get enough from those fabulous designs," Rarity said giddily.

"Oh! Can I make things explode again, now? I have sprinkles!" Pinkie Pie took a bag of sprinkles out of her hair. However she did that, Sunset felt that she had more important things to do than questioning the walking impossibility, known as Pinkie Pie. Twilight's left eye twitched, hard.

They walked deeply into the cave and were assaulted by an unfamiliar, but still well-known- and infamous stench, decay.

Fluttershy looked violently ill, even her worst times at the shelter didn’t prepare her for such sights. Rarity and Pinkie Pie ran to the side and voided their stomach contents for a short time.

"Oh my... how can you stand that horrible and disgusting smell?" Rarity asked her friends through her by hands covered mouth.

"Ah've already smelled ma’ fair share of decay from dead animals on ma’ farm. Them wolves and other varmints killed some of our pigs before we could build better protections, " Applejack explained nonchalantly, still a little bit green in the face.

"I had scientific projects in medicine with corpses and it was really interesting. Well, after I learned to control my stomach, that is. At some point I got desensitized to it, I guess," Twilight admitted awkwardly.

"Duh, I'm too awesome to puke my guts out. Besides, I wanted to be a part of the Wonderbolts one day. You have to be able to handle things like that," the chromatic teenager stated like it would explain everything.

Twilight scrunched up her nose, "The Wonderbolts? Aren't they this special unit of the Air Force, the elite pilots who do air shows?” Rainbow gave a proud nod before Twi continued, "I think their much too inflated budget is a giant waste of taxes. I don't understand why they would be appealing, it's not like they are doing anything important after all."

The blue girl's following expression of sincere betrayal and shock was history book worthy, “The whole Wonderbolts show is just promotions for the Air Force, but they do more than that, elite pilots, remember? They can do anything another pilot does, only more awesome. They get the best equipment in case they have to do more than air shows.”

Twilight blushed in defeat, the military was never her field of interest.

But all eyes focused on Sunset Shimmer in this moment instead, wondering how she didn't vomit all over the place already, especially, because she was once a herbivore and until this day a full-on vegetarian. The girl in question just groaned in an annoyed tone in response to their waiting stares, "Girls, I won't throw up, because I learned a long time ago that you may encounter such things now and then. In my... more ambitious times I visited the Hayseed Swamps in Equestria to learn about the more dangerous creatures of the country. I didn't want to fear others; I was too prideful for that at the time. To make it simple, the swamps had places which smelled not much better or worse than that. And I found my fair share of sights of what nature is capable of without a Pony’s influence."

The former Unicorn was embarrassed and ashamed of her older self. Suddenly arms wrapped themselves around her body and reminded her that the girls would have her back.

They used the flashlights they had to illuminated the cave walls and then they found... them. Gnawed bones, scattered organs, body parts and blood on every inch of the floor and lower walls. There was much more than one victim.

"Great horny toads! That sure is disturbing. How many people died in here?" Applejack whispered, visibly shocked to her core. The others weren't faring much better. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie even had to close their eyes and whimpered in each other arms.

Sunset looked upon her friends, especially their most sensible members, "You can wait here if you want, but we have to search for the driver. Maybe deeper we will find some-"

"NO!", Fluttershy screamed furiously, the girls were shocked by the outburst of their shyest member, "I won't wait here for you. Yes, it is without a doubt the cruelest and most disgusting thing I have ever witnessed, but I didn't come with you just to give up now, if we are so close."

Pinkie Pie, now with much more deflated hair, watched her normally very timid friend's heated reaction and made a decision, "She's right, girls. Whatever did that will have to face the consequences for the lives of those victims. Something threatens all of us here and it needs to be stopped. Such a party pooper can't be excused," Pinkie Pie announced with a sad and still determined expression on her face.

They were even more surprised about their usually enthusiastic friend's level of seriousness with which she said those words to announce such a thing.

In the end of the cave they found what they searched for; The bus driver, or at least his upper body. On his shirt was a white tag with his name, ‘Long Driver’ as well as stains of blood. From what was still recognizable, he was a man in his mid-forties, with a sickly green skin color, possibly because of his death and blood loss and a little, blue colored beard around his chin.

"W-Well, we f-found him..." Twilight whispered, barely audible. Applejack took her hat off of her head, holding it in front of her to pay him and all the other victims her respect.

Silence reigned the situation.

In the back of their minds was always this lingering knowledge that there was no real chance that the driver may have survived this attack, having fallen victim to an effective and merciless predator. But the thought of surrendering never crossed their mind even remotely. And furthermore, why should it? Their track record spoke volumes about the value of their Equestrian magic, the amazing feats the Elements of Harmony were capable of, the depth of their friendship.

No matter whether it was the Fall Formal, the Battle of the Bands, the Friendship Games, or Camp Everfree, casualties were never even a fleeing possibility on the agenda. The group of friends never experienced something like that, a few bruises, a bit of property damages, but never death until now.

A sad realization struck them mercilessly. The Magic of Friendship couldn't bring back the dead, nor could it save the poor man.

Twilight looked to the right and screamed in despair. She dove to the side and held her flashlight in the direction of two horribly disfigured, but familiar bodies. She broke down and sank to her knees, bawling furiously. The girls came to her aid and cried out in shock and fear upon finding the reason of her anguish.

Before them lay the corpses of two people they just left not even ten hours ago, the directors of Camp Everfree; Gloriosa Daisy and Timber Spruce. How was that possible?

The lavender girl sobbed about the entire time, "Why...? Why?! I-I know I just had a crush on him, but it hurts so muuu-huhu-ch. I w-w-wanted to meet him again so that we could get to know each other better. I even had his cellphone number!" Twilight was a wreck. Rarity held her and whispered promises of better times into her ears.

Time would slowly heal her wounds, though their young love had no chance to begin.

The rest of the Rainbooms gave them space and stood to the left of them in a semicircle, still deeply disturbed by their discovery. Then Fluttershy stated with tears falling down her cheeks, "The poor, poor thing," she mourned for her friend's loss.

"Yeah, no party in the world could make something like that better. I'll try to make her smile when she feels ready for laughing again," Pinkie Pie said in a somber tone.

Rainbow Dash took the role of the voice of reason for a change of pace and shared her view with the group, "Girls, we all know Twilight had a crush on Timber. But we can't stay here. We have to go before whatever did that comes back. We have to face it in the open, not here in a dark, bloody cave."

The cowgirl nudged the tip of her hat upwards, accepting their new plan, "Ah reckon Rainbow’s right, we have to leave this place, Ah'll go and tell Rarity and Twilight." With that idea in mind, Applejack walked to the tear stained girls to tell them about their plan.

Sunset was conflicted. She knew whatever animal did that had to be put down for the safety of them and future humans who might otherwise come across this creature, but... what would Princess Twilight say about that? What would she do? Violence, as a first answer, was heavily frowned upon in Equestria. The end of a life was something akin blasphemy in Equestrian law. She remembered their conversations with the magic linked books.

Now that she thought about it, death and major injuries seemed never to be parts of Princess Twilight's adventures in Equestria. Sunset Shimmer wondered why. Had they always great luck? Skill? Twilight always solved problems with, well, friendship, in most cases.

But she would have to do it. Princess Celestia taught her once that a true ruler always protected their subjects. OK, the girls were not her subjects, but still, she had to protect what was dear to her. She had to protect her friends. The question was how. She could only look into other minds. Not the most offensive way to fight a foe. Hopefully, she couldn't see the memories of animals. She didn't touch an animal to test it out since she gained her ability. The amber teenager really didn't want to see how it killed its prey.

Sunset stalked over to Rarity, Applejack and Twilight, joining them, "Darling, I know you feel awful, but we have to go now," she told her friend with a pleasant, calm tone in her voice, "Applejack told you about our plan. You understand what we have to do?"

The lavender teenager looked upon her with red, puffy eyes and just nodded weakly in response. Together they left the cave. At least the rain had stopped.

They stood outside of the entrance to discuss their next move, "Any ideas on how we can find that creature, except to wait for it?" Sunset asked her friends.

"Oh! Oh! Pick me! Take me and be ready. I know what to do," Pinkie Pie announced with confidence and a small smile, her hair was already a little more like before they entered the cave. She ran up a nearby big hill, north of the cave, and waited for the girls to catch up. They prepared themselves for the impending fight and wondered what kind of plan their pink friend had in mind. Pinkie faced the open forest in front of them under the hill, made a dramatic pose and asked in a monotone voice that Maud would be proud of, "What could possibly go wrong?" They waited, nothing happened.

"Pinkie, darling. Whatever was that?" Rarity enquired carefully with a confused, unsure smile and sheer bewilderment.

A shared sentiment.

To answer the question, Pinkie Pie fell dramatically on her knees and muttered, with a sincere expression of shock on her face, just loud enough for her friends to hear, "The animes lied to me..." The group facepalmed with force.

The seven girls wandered around the surroundings of the south side of the hill, cave still in sight, in the hope of finding something. Sunset didn't understand. Nowhere were any tracks around the cave and environment. Maybe the creature didn't walk on the around like they assumed?

And then she heard them, wings. But they were much bigger than the wings of the phoenix from the sound they made, "I hear wing beats! Whatever did this, here it comes!" Sunset called loudly. They turned around to look in the same direction as their friend and a shadow approached them. The figure came closer and closer. In a fast dive it landed in front of them, at a fair distance and caused dust to block their view.

Fluttershy hid behind Applejack, much to the farmer's annoyance.

After the dust was cleared by wind they could only stare with open mouths at the... thing before them. And it was massive. They were not sure if they would be able to survive this encounter.

It stood on four legs and looked like a fusion of different animals. At least 6.5 feet at shoulder height, with big, hardened muscles. It’s body was that of a lion, though black furred. This was topped by two heads upon long necks, the right also that of a black furred lion, though it had ice blue eyes and a pair of tusks. The right however was that of a dragon with white scales, ruby red eyes, a long sharply tapered snout and a pair of helical silver horns. Its legs looked like those of a lion, though they ended with the taloned white scaled feet of a dragon. Scales guarded the being's back upon which it sported white dragon wings while its tail was not a tail, but a thick King cobra. Measuring at least 2½ meters in length, its scales were coloured in three shades of blue, and it had long fangs with which to inject poison.

A chimera had appeared.

What nobody expected from this ‘beast’ was its ability to talk. With all three heads, no less.

"Lookssss like thissss time our prey decided to come to ussss," the snake lisped in a seductive sounding female voice.

In a male voice, loud and prideful, the lion agreed, "These humans shall be our next meal."

The dragon watched the group in front of them closely and voiced his opinion in a smooth male voice, paired with hidden wisdom, "Be careful, you fools, these humans have magic at their disposal, I can feel it. We should be cautious. They are more than the mere weaklings we encountered so far."

"Wait, wait, wait. You can talk?!" Pinkie Pie summarized the feelings and thoughts of the girls in the most simple way.

"Indeed, human. Why? Are you deaf?" the snake taunted, amused by such sentiments.

"But I don't understand!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, frustrated and astonished at the same time, "We thought a wild animal killed all the humans, but you can clearly talk, like us! You are sapient! Why didn't you hunt normal animals?! Why did you kill all those humans... why Timber?" her eyes moistened.

The lion laughed furiously, "HA! You want to know why? That is easy to explain. You humans are the easiest prey we've encountered in these woods. For some time, as you might have guessed by now, animals started to turn into something new, something better. Some stayed the same, but most evolved. Heightened senses, sharpened instincts, new abilities, all animals adapted more and more. But you humans change at a much slower rate and your race always lacked the natural connection to our world, unlike other species. You should know by now that the weak will be devoured by the strong. That is how the food chain works," he ended his explanation smugly.

Sunset was tired of their situation. One mystery followed the next and she feared that they had bitten off much more than they could chew this time. She needed explanations and she needed them now, "We came to punish whatever killed the humans, but I'm not so sure anymore." Before her friends could voice their displeasure, she silenced them with a pleading look and turned back to face the chimera, "Look, I understand that you think of us as prey. But I have questions, which need to be answered. That being said, could you please tell us what happened exactly that caused all this?"

The lion yawned in boredom, "Why should we talk to our food? We have no reason to-"

Before he could go further, the dragon surprised them and used one of their claws to close the lion’s mouth, fixating Sunset Shimmer with his eyes, "I see... yes, now I understand. Magic from another realm resides in all of you. This exposure slowly triggers your magical talents, originating from this world," the dragon mused.

"Awesome! So we have even more magic in us? And cool new magic, too?" Rainbow Dash asked eagerly. Completely forgetting that this was most likely the one, or ones, responsible for many deaths.

"You could say that," the dragon continued, slightly amused, "After we came into existence we were blessed with many things by the magic of this world. For example with sharpened instincts, the ability to speak freely and knowledge, depending on the race. I, as a dragon, have a deeper connection to the world and its mechanisms. I don't know everything, before you ask, but enough to make you understand what you need to understand, humans."

"That better be good ya nothin' for good varmint! Y'all killed good people!" Applejack added in fury. Only thinking about the possibility that her own kin could end up like the poor victims in the cave made her blood boil.

The dragon, much to most of the group's secret relief, decided to ignore the farmer's threat, "You have to realize that magic was always a part of this world. Every stone, every plant, every animal, from the most complex being to the smallest grain of sand. Without magic, nothing can exist. You humans just chose to forget. In your earlier history you had some kind of connection to the magic of this world, if only in tiny sparks sometimes. But in time you wanted to find explanations for the world you lived in that suited your beliefs. You wanted to shape it and define it after your own image. Much was lost and forgotten, even by history itself. For this purpose, you used religion and later science. Magic had no longer a place in your world view, except as something evil or fictional."

"But if magic always existed, why didn't we have any clear evidence of its existence in our history books? There is only so much someone can do to suppress the truth of such a tangible force," Rarity commented wonderingly.

The mythical beast stroke his chin with a claw, thinking about his answer, "It rested, human, waiting to return anew. Only a spark was needed, a trigger to start the changes you see now before you. In the last... months, I believe you humans measure time, magic from another realm leaked into this world, and served as said trigger. One day it would have awakened on its own, but in this way the process occurred at a much faster rate. Much more interesting is that both these forms of magic started to fuse with each other in some ways. I don't know exactly what that means for you, but in time you may find out. Many things awoke from their slumber, but most importantly, two days ago a great disturbance awoke the elementals of this world. Something happened to them. Any questions?"

Sunset muttered to herself in an inaudible voice. Her mind felt like it raced at 1000 miles per hour, "Again these 'elementals'. That is the same thing the phoenix told Fluttershy. And... two days ago? That was the day we had the fight with Gloriosa in Camp Everfree and we transformed the very first time with the help of the geodes..." She needed to know the truth, "But what are these 'elementals' you speak of?"

"The elementals represent the natural forces of nature. There are five natural elements in total: fire, water, earth, air and thunder. They are the forces of creation itself you might say, to simplify it for now. Every element has their own kinds of elementals. I don't know much about them, but I do know that something awoke them and they are beginning to wander this plane of existence. That is all I can say for sure. You have to investigate further, if you wish to find out more on this matter," the dragon finished his story calmly.

"Uh, Mr. Dragon, sir? I think we now have a better picture from the situation we are in, but may I ask as to the reason you didn't attack us like our fellow humans? Not that I'm ungrateful, the opposite in fact; I'm positively delighted and you have the thanks of a lady, but what are your reasons for sparing us?" Rarity asked what most of the group thought.

"Adaptation, young one. Every human we encountered so far had nothing more than unnaturally high amounts of fear of us. Even more, sometimes, the moment we started to speak. They thought they had lost their mind and had gone mad. Some thought they were in a coma or suffered from hallucinations. Others started to hurt themselves in order to 'awaken from this nightmare' and again others tried to hurt us with petty actions in false bravery and only received death in return. All humans we met in the forest ended as our prey. Not only because they were easy to hunt, but they were weak excuses for living beings. I have no patience for fools and lunatics, for beings who can not adapt to life and would rather kill themselves in order to 'escape', give up or murder and destroy everything that 'makes no sense' and 'should not be' in their opinion," he explained in disdain.

"Not everybody is like that though..." Pinkie replied sadly.

The proud predator concurred, "I do not say that this is the norm for all humans. You, for example, seem to be able to see reason. That is why I decided to let you go, or rather I have the feeling you could play a greater role in future events to come. I trust my instincts' advice."

The girls excused themselves, moving a little bit away from the chimera and discussed what this new knowledge could mean for them and others.

Nobody else noticed, except the lion and the snake, because they shared one body, but the dragon had his focus mostly on a certain individual of his interest. He glanced for the blink of an eye in the direction of Sunset Shimmer. They both agreed with the dragon, she seemed to be more than a simple human, they just couldn't figure out why.

"Ah have no idea what to think about this, gals. They killed more than their fair share of innocent and Ah can't forgive them for that, but Ah have to say Ah'm not entirely unhappy that we could avoid a fight. Ah don't think we are ready for that kind of rodeo, yet. Sorry that Ah snapped like that, Ah nearly messed up somethin' fierce," Applejack admitted in frustration.

"Don't sweat it, cowgirl. I'm sure we could totally handle these guys. I mean, come on, we could shoot them with our rainbow powers and even if not. I'm super fast, you’re super strong, Pinkie Pie can make things explode, Rarity can shield us, Twilight can levitate things and Sunset and Fluttershy can cheer us on," Rainbow Dash explained confidently, ignoring the deadpan looks she received from the last two persons mentioned.

"Darling, I have to agree with Applejack. They seemed very brutish at first sight, but I fear our limited experience in the province of real battle would give us a big disadvantage," Rarity argued neutrally, "Fluttershy dear, you didn't say anything until now. Are you still shaken?"

She touched the shy girl on her shoulder.

The nervous teenager recoiled, "Eep! Oh, I'm sorry. They were just so scary and I was too scared of them to say anything, especially the dragon, he makes me very nervous. I'm happy that Mr. Dragon, Mr. Lion and Mrs. Snake decided not to eat us, so please don't provoke them Rainbow Dash, if you don't mind." Fluttershy pleaded with her oldest childhood friend.

"Guys? Has anybody any idea where we are and how to get back to the bus?" Pinkie asked her friends innocently. They just gaped at her in response.

The chimera walked up to them, having heard the loud question. The lion answered this time and gestured back to the big hill, north of the cave, "You were up there and searched for us before we found you, right? Go back to the top and this time look in the other direction. You should find what you are looking for."

Most of the Rainbooms gave a silent nod and left for the hill, Sunset stopped a few moments later, signaling the others that she would catch up to them. She turned around to face the chimera once again.

"What do you wissssh to know thissss time, curioussss one?" the snake asked, with faked interest.

"Your name," Sunset simply stated.

"What? Why? We have no need or desire for a name, unlike you humans." The lion scrutinized her motives for such questions.

"My name is Sunset Shimmer. I only wanted to thank you, because you helped us, kind of. Don't misunderstand me. I can't just forget what you did, but I can understand why you did it," she reasoned with firm belief.

The snake tried to pronounce her name, but failed miserably, "Ssssunsssset Sssshimmer. What kind of tongue twissssting madnessss issss thissss?!" the snake demanded, angered.

Suddenly, the dragon exploded into loud, amused laughter, ignoring the plight of the snake. After he calmed down he looked into Sunset's eyes, "I don't know if you are very brave or just insane. You are completely alone in this very moment. We could just kill you in many different ways right now, if we so desired, but you state clearly your displeasure about the way we live. I advise you strongly to keep your honesty in check. Being bold to the wrong kind of beings may easily be the end of you and others you care for. As I already stated, this world has its own magic since its very dawn. That means that every being can be bequeathed with a form of magic. If you want to find and learn to master it, you should concentrate and search for your inner sanctum. In time you may find the answers you seek, Sunset Shimmer. Or, if you are lucky, your power will find you."

Sunset closed her eyes and thought briefly about the chimera's words. She opened them again to ask more questions, but their former enemy was gone without a trace, like it never existed in the first place. Utterly confused by their disappearance, she searched for her friends as her only remaining option.

Still, a single question remained in the end. Was the newly awoken magic in the atmosphere responsible for the fact that their outfits didn't change back already?

Unsure about all the questions she still had, Sunset Shimmer finally caught up to the others. She was wondering why none of her friends waited for her or came back to look after her in the first place. They stared into the distance, but something was terribly wrong. The girls all had an unhealthy, pale shade of skin color.

Tears streamed down Fluttershy’s and Rarity's cheeks, Pinkie Pie had straight hair and looked like a frozen statue, an unchanged expression of disbelief on her face. Twilight wore a mask of complete horror and Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked like they were close to a breakdown, mouths wide open.

Sunset followed the gaze of her friends, not sure what to expect and nothing could have prepared her for the scene she had to witness. She wondered how she could have missed it the whole time. In the far distance, a macabre show presented itself to the group. Maybe the gates of Tartarus opened, she had thought.

In the distance the once proud city of Canterlot, home of the infamous Canterlot High, bane of the sirens, and venue of the Friendship Games, burned to ashes in a sea of flames.

Author's Note

Edited version uploaded: 10/19/17
Proofread by: Javarod (Big thank you from my side.)

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

First of all, I didn't forget Spike, if somebody thinks that. He will just come in later.

Secondly, I DO NOT ship, I don't write romance and I can't write romance, easy as that. Only in little parts maybe and not with the mainfocus on romance. :derpytongue2:

I wanted to implement the Equestria Girl Movies entirely and I can't change it that the movie-writers implemented romance between Twilight and Timber. :heart But I still appreciate well-written stories with romance as the focus, like most well-written ones. If the plot is well enough or just something for a good laugh I can appreciate many kinds of fics.

I say that just in case somebody wants to lash out in the commentsection, because they think I killed off characters, because I 'dislike' them in any shape or form. Timber and Gloriosa were simply at the wrong time at the wrong place. :ajsleepy:

Furthermore, for a little help of orientation in the much later chapters for the Pony world, besides my own ideas I planned to use parts of the following map by MisiekPL, all credits for it goes to him, called simply "Map of Equestria" from DeviantArt. A good peace of art in my opinion: Here. :ajsmug:

By the way, I try to change the look of Equestria related creatures that are canon, because I want the human world to have their own versions of mythological beings and not only mere copies.

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 2 - The Fall of Canterlot City

The famous Crystal Prep Academy, or CPA for short, was always known for its high standards, its reputation in and around Canterlot City, but most importantly its competitive environment to provide a challenge and the prospect to excel. In order to achieve greatness the private school needed a firm hand and a brilliant head at its top, with a vision for the bigger picture. A way to earn recognition. This much needed head for the school was found 15 years ago: Principal Abacus Cinch, who was a bonfire of pure discipline to earn Crystal Prep the reputation it deserved. Or, at least that was what she herself liked to think...

Abacus couldn't believe it. She created the perfect atmosphere for students. Yes, the fees were expensive, but when you wanted to learn with the best equipment available under perfect conditions, a price had to be paid. Expensive exchange programs in oversea scholarships, science fairs, sport events... she could supply it all. Over her years as a principal of CPA the competitive spirit she stoked served its purpose. Her students built a reputation for themselves, but more importantly the school, and by extension, her. They won every competition in all provinces of knowledge, as well as all sport event.

Crystal Prep had a reputation, indeed! The desire to be better than others, engagement and a network of contacts from the school board to circles of the most respected universities, an unbroken influence. This was how her legacy should endure.

Then the Friendship Games happened.

Dean Cadance always represented the opinion that understanding, emotional support and encouraging her students to make friends was the right course of action to help Cinch's school. Seriously, this woman had a major in 'Analytical and Applied Psychology' with the topic, 'How Love Can Bring Out A Student's Hidden Potential'. How unprofessional. Principal Cinch could only roll her eyes at such ridiculous and naive sentiments,the dean was a lost cause.

But now, Cadance felt herself confirmed in her beliefs after the conclusion of the Games.

Luckily for Cinch the students were trained well enough from her and still looked out for their own future first and foremost to lead at some point in high places. And it would be her credit. Her reputation was the bait to bring the most intelligent young minds to CPA and the most talented of them all was her, Twilight Sparkle.

And how did she thank Cinch for her accomplishments? Her support? She dared to leave the principal, her school, her empire. She dared to stain her legacy. The reason made her furious. Friendship. For CHS the students of Canterlot High School, who started to make themselves their own reputation. Some third-class backwater institution for common people. People, who would never have the ability to leave their mark on the world, like Abacus Cinch did.

She still remembered them; Principal Celestia and her sister, Vice-Principal Luna. How smug they were after the games, to announce the Friendship Games a tie, to declare all winners. They knew they never would have beaten Cinch and Crystal Prep in anything, so those upstarts had to use cheap tricks to even the odds for them. Trained attack plants, wings out of nowhere and of course extended hair and some ludicrous looking animal ears, surely their purpose was to mock her.

This arrogant and impudent lowlives from Canterlot High! First they turned her own students against her and in the end they had the audacity to look at her with an amount of self-righteousness and sardonic satisfaction that Abacus needed all her attained professionalism to stop herself from exploding in everybody's face.

All that caused by a power she only knew from fairy tales and would never have believed in, if she didn't witness its power with her own eyes first hand... magic. Reality certainly proved her wrong this time. Such a curious force, indeed. If someone would have asked her before the Friendship Games, she would have denied that such a thing even existed.

But Principal Abacus Cinch always was a pragmatist and preferred cold logic over irrational decisions based on emotions and childish wishes. She learned a long time ago to adapt her worldview in order to succeed. Otherwise she wouldn't stand where she was; a respected, influential and well-known person with a reputation in society.

After Twilight Sparkle transformed into that monster, made by the very power she obtained, this naive girl nearly destroyed the entire world! Cinch knew exactly why she couldn't handle it. She was weak.

Twilight Sparkle didn't even appreciate the little musical number she held for her, Cinch had liked her song. It had a... dramatic touch.

Besides, a little pressure never hurt, in her opinion. It showed who was reliable and it always served to separate the wheat from the chaff. On second thought, this girl fit perfectly into Celestia's little friendship school.

No, this simply wouldn't do.

She needed something to pay them back for her humiliation, showing them their place once and for all. But she could not declare magic to be real or she risked landing in a mental institution. She would lose everything! Then Cinch remembered something she discovered a long time ago. In a long forgotten underground section of Crystal Prep were documents and books in form of a little private study. She closed this area off from the public entirely and told the superintendents of the school board that she stored only assorted literature in these rooms and no more questions were asked.

The Crystal Prep Academy stood on these grounds for a little over 100 years now. It was founded by the first principal of the school, Principal Sombra. The only thing she knew about this man was that he was head of the academy for only 10 years before he was admitted to a mental asylum.

The documents said that he had an unhealthy obsession with crystals for some reason. Cinch guessed his madness was the reason for the name of the academy. Well, never mind. Abacus now knew what she needed to do.

It was break time in CPA, a time where five of the most famous students of the academy met each other to talk. It was like a ritual they decided to perform since the Friendship Games in order to know each other better. They wanted to become friends, if that was possible, like Twilight taught them. Like the six students of CHS taught to them, the Rainbooms most of all.

The Shadowbolts were a dynamic group of five girls, that was for sure. The very competitive Indigo Zap, the bipolar Sour Sweet, the paragon of bluntness: Sugarcoat, the rock music loving Lemon Zest and last but not least, the straight and poised Sunny Flare, the unofficial leader of their team. Most people thought that Sugarcoat or Sour Sweet were thier group's leader, because they talked more in public, they didn't know that Sunny was more the silent observer type.

After the games they wanted to hang out more with each other to see where it went and it worked out in the end, much to their joy.

It was a sunny monday, scattered clouds were painting the sky. The girls sat on their chairs at a large table in their school uniforms and enjoyed a good meal. Sometimes the high entry fees were worth it. On the menu today was fried chicken with an exquisite mango sauce, supported by roasted potatoes, french bread or salad and, for the vegetarians, lasagna.

"So... how was your weekend?" Indigo Zap started the conversation awkwardly. Sometimes they had to try harder to make a dialogue work. They were still more accustomed to surrounding themselves with students who shared their interests or looked up to them. Or both.

Principal Cinch searched long and hard before she decided who would represent Crystal Prep in the last Friendship Games. In the end she picked the students with the highest grades, like Twilight Sparkle, for the competitions of knowledge and popularity and athletic skills for the sport events. A reputation had to be upheld. It was good that she decided to pick them, otherwise they might not be sitting together now.

"That was a really bad attempt to start this conversation. But we all are still unused to this whole friendship business, so it was fine," Sugarcoat remarked without twitching.

"Don't worry about it, we are all friends here. In fact, Sugarcoat, I'm sure you couldn't do it much better, so don't act like it!" Sour Sweet voiced her opinion in an attempt to help, with mixed results.

Lemon Zest nodded her head silently in support for Indigo... or because she just really liked the music she was hearing in the moment; both were possibilities.

Sunny Flare had enough and came straight to the point, "Girls, calm down. We all know why we are here." She touched Lemon's shoulder to get the teenager's attention.

"Dude, that was the best part!" Lemon looked around in confusion, "Oh, are we talking about that now?"

Finally Sunny Flare could start, "Yes we are. Alright girls, listen up, since the Friendship Games we tried to make the other students of Crystal Prep understand that working together and trying to get along would make this place much more bearable. We learned that lesson from Twilight, but mostly from this Sunset Shimmer girl and her friends-"

"Her transformation was awesome! Did you see those wings? They looked like they were made of freakin' sunlight!" Lemon exclaimed helpfully.

Sunny just groaned and continued after giving a short glare, "As I was saying before someone rudely interrupted me, the problem is that nobody, except maybe the students who witnessed the Friendship Games, would believe what happened there. In fact I still can hardly believe it myself. The point is that the other students see no reason to change the way they are. And frankly, I can't blame them for that. I would have acted the same way if someone just came up to me and wanted to change the way I am. So, has anybody an idea to actually succeed with something?"

Sugarcoat corrected her glasses on her nose with two fingers before she replied stoically, "You already mentioned some points, but the facts remain. Nobody wants to change, because there is no reason to do it in the first place. Next, this magic we saw is a great hit in the internet with various videos the students made during the entire ordeal, but of course people think that everything in them was just well-made special effects. We can only change the attitude of the others if we are able to prove that Cinch tried to blackmail Twilight with the Everton scholarship. On this way we could show the students that their principal is a fraud and that there is a better way to live with each other."

"I don't think that will work. It's just Twilight's word against hers and it doesn't count that Sparkle told others about it after the Friendship Games. Without any solid evidence we can't do anything. And Cinch is not stupid. I'm sure she didn't make a file or something like that and only threatened her privately for pressure. She manipulated the girl, because she knew Twilight would do anything to keep her chance to go to Everton," Inidigo voiced her thoughts and sighed, "The same way we helped Cinch to pressure her into using that pendant." Now she sulked.

Lemon put a hand upon her shoulder in a supporting manner.

Sunny rubbed her chin thoughtfully, "Maybe we can make this work if we could show them that magic exists in the first place. I mean, the students of CHS seemed to have no problems with it and if our fellow classmates would have no other choice than to acknowledge its existence, maybe they'd believe us about Cinch without any proof about her shady methodes. Besides, such a behaviour isn't too out of character for her to believe something like that."

Sour Sweet rested her head upon a hand, deep in thoughts herself, "Hmm, you know... I'm surprised that those Rainbooms are even still freely walking around and weren't already taken away by the authorities with their abilities. It's like our government had more important things to do!" she explained, irritated by the lack of action from the higher ups.

Sugarcoat mumbled something inaudible to herself about not underestimating the ignorance of humans.

"Did you hear the rumors about some incidents around Canterlot? Many humans went missing in the last weeks and never found again,“ Indigo Zap informed darkly, scrolling through the news messenger on her cellphone.

"I totally heard that, too! These disappearances happened especially on the outskirts of the city and the more rural areas, but mostly near the Everfree Forest," Lemon Zest filled out the rumors, for those of her friends not in the know, with more information.

"This may sound far-fetched, but we all heard about the 'special effects' from the Battle of the Bands, right? And after the whole thing with Twilight we can certainly say that this was probably real magic what the Dazzlings used. That being said, the disappearances of humans could be the doing of other magical beings. We should look deeper into it and help!" Sunny Flare decided and earned shocked expressions from her fellow Shadowbolts.

Indigo was the first to comment, "Uh... Sunny? I know we want to make things better, but isn't that much too dangerous for us? Don't misunderstand me, I'm always willing to show my awesome skills. The problem is just that whatever kidnaps humans will most likely be very dangerous, like maybe even on the deadly danger level. We should let the police handle this."

"The police is completely overwhelmed. They didn't find even one of the missing persons yet and they won't be able to handle magic. We don't really qualify as magic experts either, but-"

*RIIIIING!!!*

Sunny started to defend her idea, but they heard the bell and knew their break was over.

On their way back to class they wanted to talk more about it, but Lemon saw something strange, "Look, there's Cinch. Where is she going? I thought those stairs only lead to the restricted sections in the underground of Crystal Prep?" In response the others looked silently into the direction she pointed and indeed saw the principal walking down the stairs.

"Only one way to find out! We will follow her; make sure she doesn't cause more trouble and go our way!" Sour Sweet said with her usual change of attitude.

"She's right. Cinch clearly has a plan with the way she behaved since the Friendship Games. This woman is obsessed with revenge on Twilight and Canterlot High School and is just mad that she didn't win. A seriously sore loser," Sugarcoat commented with narrowed eyes.

The five teenagers nodded their heads and followed Cinch into the restricted sections. The underground level was cleaner than they expected, and still... older seemed to be the right word to describe their feelings. The corridor changed from the modern architecture upstairs to old walls of stone. It felt like they followed their principal into a secret dungeon. Maybe it was, or a prison.

They did so for a long time to a room, where they hid outside behind the door and looked into it the moment the principal walked straight to its end. It had the appearance of a private study. That was certainly interesting.

In the study was a set of two bookshelves, one to the right side of the room and one to the left, filled with many old looking scrolls and books, a big table made of mahogany, a grand leather chair and a high desk made of stone with four whole black candles, one on every corner of it and finally in the middle laid a mysterious tome. It was big, covered the high desk nearly from the bottom to the top, was colored in a bright red and had something written upon its front. Sadly they could not see what it was from their perspective.

Now they had to wait. Nobody noticed the red magical circle beneath the woman.

Principal Abacus Cinch was surprised at the condition this room was in. Since for quite a long time nobody entered this room, she believed, and still no dust was found in here. She wondered briefly how that was possible. So many books and scrolls, surely they handled interesting topics that could help her in her plans, right? She had to destroy the growing reputation of Canterlot High and reestablish her position over those upstarts. Then she saw the book upon the high desk and went to it. It was bright red and upon its front were golden, gleaming... symbols? Cinch never saw something like that in her entire life. She didn't even know how to start in order to understand what was in front of her.

She opened the tome and found notes on several papers in front of the first page. It looked like some kind of documentary or diary. In the belief she was alone, Cinch started to read them out loud.

I always was obsessed by two things in my life: crystals and knowledge, especially long forgotten knowledge. And finally I, Sombra, found the ancient tome I heard about. I need to make these notes before others, who could never understand my brilliance, would take my work away from me. I searched for 20 years of my life before I found it and followed hint after hint before my discovery. An old colleague of mine told me about long forgotten ruins in Greece, a temple, where the humans of old worshiped beings known as 'Elementals' in their own society called 'Scions of the Elementals'. This happened 2500 years ago. The more modern society decided to ignore it and called this historical place a 'temple of religious fanatics'.

They believed that our world has her own magic and that it could be used for great things. I ventured far and went deep into the temple. I found it in a restricted area, because the authorities believed this place to be too dangerous and old to search beyond the main hall. There was an ancient door with Old Greek written on it.

Luckily I studied dead languages for years and could translate its message perfectly, which said:

"Welcome friend, before you can enter and visit our inner shrine, answer one question to ensure that you are indeed a fellow brother: 'What are the five true elements of nature our lords, the Elementals, represent?'"

If someone talks about the elements of nature then people simply assume until this day that fire, earth, water and air are the answer, but I found out the truth through years of research. I answered out loud in front of the door in the dead language: 'Everlasting Fire. Unyielding Water. Unbending Earth. Relentless Air. Unforgiving Thunder'.

The door quaked and opened.

The beauty of the hidden shrine was astonishing. Somehow flora grew in this place and I found a pond of the clearest water in the center of the room. And there it was; the holy shrine itself. It stood in the middle of the pond on a little green island. The construction itself was small and nothing special, but what I found in the shrine was another thing entirely. Upon a pedestal laid the target of 20 years research, 'The Art of Summoning', written by the Scions for future brothers and sisters who would follow the elementals.

I was ready to take the power I deserved.

I spent a long time translating it from Ancient Greek into our modern English in my own copy. After I was sure my translation was flawless I needed something I didn't have at the time; magic. But because the book was infused by magic it could be used to find other sources of said energy, or so my translation told me. I searched, with the tome as my compass, over the whole world until I found a place with enough magical energy for my purposes. It led me to Canterlot City and the epicenter was a horse statue in front of a military base. I heard they wanted to build a new high school in its place instead, because Canterlot didn't need the base any longer, but I couldn't wait. Nevertheless, destroying the statue would have drawn unnecessary attention.

No, a little bit less magic was enough, too. Later I found an old church with a magical heart-shaped sky blue crystal, the size of a man's head. they called it the 'Crystal of Faith', because it shimmered if someone had strong emotions. They didn't even know that it was a magical artifact, thinking it was a relict of god. I needed this place, so I used all my influence I could muster to buy the church, the land and the crystal would be mine.

I just needed a cover for my plan, and the rumors of a school being built gave me the perfect idea. I always wanted to be a principal or in a position of power in general, sadly this land never had a king.

That was the cornerstone for my new private school, the Crystal Prep Academy.

In the underground I built my private study and finally I could start my plans. I had to follow the instructions from the tome exactly, and after 10 more years I had the necessary ingredients. I wonder if the Scions of old had everything at their disposal? In this time, most humans forgot about magic and think of it only as a fantasy. How disappointing. It was worth the effort.

I summoned a fire elemental.

Sadly, my first summon led to the destruction of the only copy I made of the tome and its translation. Well, I decided that I would note the instructions later on a single sheet of paper and keep it safe in the back of the tome. And still, all the time I translated the rest... for nothing. The Crystal of Faith was taken away, too. The moment the fire spirit looked upon it was taken away from me. I never found out where or why.

My master helped to awaken in me my inner magic. Crystal Magic. Yes, he told me that every being on this world had its own spark of magic. Without it, there was no life. Some humans were even able to manipulate it and gain new abilities. Mages, or magi as they are called, indeed existed in ancient times. I can call myself a part of that proud profession now, found out about ruins and places of old and other planes of existence. I won't write them down, because most humans are unworthy of such knowledge in my opinion.

So much power, but I wanted more, I wanted... to rule, to be a king and no mere Scion, no mere unimportant footsoldier.

I will rule and create my kingdom of dreams- no, an empire! Yes, my Crystal Empire!

Cinch read the last words of the notes she found and was, well... surprised would be the understatement of the century. She didn't know she wasn't alone with that feeling. or that five girls heard every word and were very shocked as well.

The principal didn't know where to start. She tried to collect herself before she did the next step. Did she even want that? Did she want to summon some supernatural entity? What happened to Sombra? He wanted to rule, that much was clear, but somehow he ended up in an asylum, powerless. What she did know was that Sombra went mad with power, that he couldn't control himself.

Exactly like Twilight Sparkle.

On the other hand, what possibilities did she have? Her legacy crumbled away since the Friendship Games, she was mocked by fellow successful principals and members of the school board alike for what, to their knowledge, occurred. Just because her, what did they say? Ah yes, her 'so called elite' lost the games to a 'commoner school'. Oh how they laughed. No, her legacy, her reputation was on the brink and she wouldn't lose everything she worked her entire career for. She knew that those five girls, the Shadowbolts, acted behind her back since the Friendship Games, that they wanted to change her school, her students. They wanted to make everything like... in Canterlot High.

No, she would NOT let that happen! They wished to make Crystal Prep like Cadance always wanted. Yes, she would gladly support them in their endeavour. Cinch could already see the smug, gloating, self-righteous faces of Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna before her very eyes, taunting her. It made her blood boil.

Without a second thought she opened the tome at the end and took out the paper from Sombra to summon one of those infamous elementals, “Let's see...”

1. Step before the tome with the red circle in front of it, so that the elementals will feel your presence.

2. Ignite the four black holy candles upon the high desk.

3. Let the tome rest in the center between them, so that it can absorb the magical flames.

4. Recite the following words to summon an elemental:
Beings of the Elemental Plains, hear my plea!
I came to summon you,
I came to serve your will,
I came to learn under your guidance,
I came to live in your name,
I came to die for your glory,
I came to understand your magic,
I came to unleash you upon this world,
Command me!

5. Serve, and become a true Scion of the Elementals.

PS: Push the button under the right side of the high desk before you start, so that nobody may interfere, otherwise the results could be deadly. The mechanism will activate a hidden portcullis and close off the door to keep out potential intruders.

Cinch swallowed because of the last part and checked. There really was a red and lightly shining circle. But first, she found and pushed the button, like mentioned in the notes, a portcullis fell down. She could have sworn she heard someone scream in surprise. Must have been her imagination, she figured. Abacus really needed to stop worrying so much. Nobody except her could possibly know about this place. She looked a last time into the direction of the door and listened. No, nobody had followed her.

Principal Cinch started the ritual. She already stood on the circle; step one was complete. Now to step two. She took a confiscated lighter out of her pocket and lit all four candles, which produced black flames no less, then she placed the tome exactly in the center. Suddenly the object began to glow and the flames were absorbed by it in a slow flow. Now to the quote. She cleared her throat and started the incantation:

"Beings of the Elemental Planes, hear my plea!

"I came to summon you,

"I came to serve your will,

"I came to learn under your guidance,

"I came to live in your name,

"I came to die for your glory,

"I came to understand your magic,

"I came unleash you upon this world,

"Command me!"

Something strange appeared behind the tome. A circle in blazing red energy, filled with symbols she never saw before. And then it came, an elemental of fire.

It was like nothing Principal Cinch ever saw before. This entity was literally made of living flames. If she guessed correctly, the being was around 6'6”, or something close, tall. It stared down at her with blazing yellow eyes. Its body looked similar to the one of a human, just much, much broader in its upper body, unlike a normal human being. It didn't really have legs, but swirling flames instead to let it float a little over the ground. She was lucky it stood on magical stone, at least she thought it was, because nothing melted under the burning heat. The being's flames weren't really like normal fire either; its entire body was made of black fire, like the candle flames, and it wore slate gray armor on its entire upper body, except its massive arms. On the armor were the same symbols of the summoning circle.

What surprised her the most was its ability to speak English fluently.

"A long time has passed since my last summons," the elemental started with a voice that sounded like scorching flames, "I see. You, mortal, do you want to serve us? Speak up, before I burn you to ashes!" it demanded, annoyed by the principal's lack of action and imitation of a fish.

"Y-Yes! I summoned you, oh great elemental of fire! I came to learn under your wise guidance and do as you wish," she said with a shaky tone.

"Tell me, what is your name, future Scion?" it demanded to know.

"My name is Principal Abacus Cinch. Do you grant me the humble honor to know your name, oh great one?" Cinch sucked up to the elemental. For a moment she thought she heard someone mock-gag in disgust.

The entity seemed to ignore her behaviour and answered, "My name is Igniticious, High Recruiter and part of the elementals of my master's division. I see the curious look in your eyes, being of flesh. His name is none of your concern, yet."

"High Recruiter, my Lord?" She inquired curiously. The elemental indeed sounded male. But mostly like a burning flame.

"It means that I'm one of the fire elementals who can recruit non-elementals and grant them power. Such is my task in his name. Now, Scion, stand in front of me and be bestowed by the power of the Everlasting Fire!" Igniticious shot magical flames from his hands in Cinch's direction.

Black flames surrounded her and she started to have second thoughts, but she felt... no pain? The flames engulfed her body and they started to transform her. Her glasses burned away and her skin changed its color from the former light opalish grey to dark scarlet. She grew in her stature to at least 6.5 feet in height, her irises turned from grayish fuchsia to a brilliant glowing amber, her sclera from white to a warm red, like fire, and her hair changed from various tones of violet into various shades of the same blazing amber like her eyes.

Otherwise her body stayed largely the same.

Her attire was changed by the black flames, too. Cinch now wore silky, with sewn-in red colored runes as protection, ornate garments in crimson, her shoes just changed their colors from the previous blue shades, light and dark, into coral ones.

Principal Abacus Cinch was no more.

"This incredible feeling..." Cinch whispered in awe and gasped at how she sounded. Her voice was the same, but with a little distortion, an echo of crackling fire. A symbol of her new existence as a half-elemental. This power was extraordinary in her opinion. Everything she could do now, the possibilities were endless! Perhaps she wanted to build a name for herself, but no rulership like Sombra.

No, she was always a principal at heart and never tried to reach for higher positions in the educational system, even if her desires told her otherwise. It was enough for her to serve in a greater scheme and to earn a position for herself in the ranks of her new masters.

She knelt in front of the High Recruiter, "Master, what do you desire?" Cinch asked, humble but determined.

"Before we go any further I think we should take care about the eavesdroppers. Some of your former students, I presume." Igniticious concentrated flames in his hand in form of a little fireball and destroyed the door, screams were heard in the upcoming dust.

After it cleared, Cinch saw them. Her students, former students; she had to remember herself. The Shadowbolts.

Lemon Zest coughed heavily and glared at the fire elemental, "Dude, that wasn't cool!"

"Oh-" Sour Sweet giggled sheepishly,"-what a pleasant surprise to meet you here like this Principal Cinch. What have you done, Cinch?! Are you insane?!” she exclaimed angrily, clearly in shock.

The others weren't faring much better. They watched the woman's actions the whole time until now, but could not do anything, because the door was closed off right in front of their faces. Literally. They knew she wanted revenge and was angry about the Friendship Games, but to make some kind of pact with a strong and very scary entity was surely no solution!

"You little pests. Did you really think you could trick me? That I wouldn't notice your presence?" the High Recruiter boomed in a powerful voice.

"There is no reason to do something drastic, maybe we can talk this out," Indigo Zap nervously tried to negotiate.

"That isn't the way, Principal Cinch! We you know didn't like the tie in the Friendship Games, but we-" Sunny Flare started to lecture, but was interrupted.

Abacus laughed wholeheartedly in response. After a few more chuckles she looked with disdain at her former students, "Oh, you naive, pesky little fools. Do you really think I would still care about those ridiculous Friendship Games? Yes, I was angry about how things went, but now I don't have to worry about it anymore. I found my true destiny and you could never understand how small you all are in comparison to the greater picture the magic of my master granted me," she clarified reverently, "But we can't let you run away and blab about what transpired here. I'm sorry young ladies, but... how did the old trope go? Oh, yes. 'Curiosity killed the cat'."

She didn't like taking a life, but she had to do it, otherwise those girls could cause trouble in the future. Cinch vowed her loyalty, not only for her own dreams, but to the plans of her masters, too. Yes, it needed to be done.

Before the five teenagers could meet a terrible end, the earth quaked. The fireball didn't only damage the entrance, but the ceiling as well.

"We have to go, now! Move!" Sugarcoat screamed panicky at her alarmed friends.

Before the new Scion could run to escape an inglorious end, Igniticious concentrated his magic and in a blink of an eye he and Cinch were gone.

The Shadowbolts took off and ran as fast as they could, the crumbling ceiling in hot pursuit their entire way back. They ran up the stairs and jumped through the door into the school corridor where their little adventure started, hoping they were safe.

Sour Sweet panted heavily, "T-That was much too close. We are lucky Crystal Prep had such a deep underground system, otherwise the whole school might have been in danger. I swear, the next time we might kick the bucket with our luck."

They heard fast approaching steps and saw Dean Cadance coming their way in high heels and wondered how she could maintain this speed with that style of footwear.

"Thank goodness! There you are! I was worried about you. I couldn't find you or Principal Cinch anywhere. After the earthquake started and I couldn't find the principal in her office, I just ordered the evacuation of the campus! What happened to you?" She was clearly worried about their well-being.

The five girls looked at each other in fear and nodded their heads. Sunny Flare stepped forward and announced, a little disturbed by what they just witnessed, "Dean Cadance we have to tell you something very important, it is about Cinch."

"Hmm? What happened?" Cadance inquired, very confused now from the behaviour of the students in front of her.

"You should sit down, because I don't think you will believe-", before she could say more, the dean interrupted her in a smug tone, "Friendship Games, remember?"

"Right, you were there. Well, never mind. OK, everything started today during our break. We talked about-"

In a realm not many mortals entered in its existence without an elemental affinity, a disturbance interrupted the tranquility. A magical circle with runes made of fire appeared and with it High Recruiter Igniticious and his new Scion, Abacus Cinch.

"Wh-Where are we?" Cinch asked, unsure and confused.

"Welcome to the Elemental Planes. More specifically, the kingdom of the fire elementals, the Burning Mountains.” he introduced proudly, "Now, are you ready to go further, before the young humans disturbed us?"

"Yes, I am." Cinch knelt down again. Igniticious put one of his big hands on her shoulder and surprisingly it didn't hurt her.

"My Scion, stand up and be acknowledged. Wear your new title with pride, bring us honor, devour your foes with your flames and make all who dare to defy our masters pay. Rise now and mark the world, Blazing Inquisitress, Abacus Cinch!" The High Recruiter intoned

"My Lord, I thank you for the honor you gave me, but may I inquire, what do you want me to do now?"

"Now, I will give you your basic training and after that you may have your first mission," the elemental answered, thoughtful of his Scion.

Cinch understood his idea and the High Recruiter was right. She had no experience in battle or combat in general. She could fudge documents, she could blackmail and she could intimidate, but she could not use a weapon or her new magic. Yet.

"I apologize for any further delay, but still have questions. What does the word 'Scion' mean exactly?" Cinch thought she could anger the High Recruiter with her questions and was worried.

Igniticious's eyes had a familiar expression, amusement, she thought, "Of course you may ask. We don't need mindless pawns who cannot think on their own in your position. To answer your question, 'Scion' is a title which describes you as a half-elemental. Humans, when they accept an elemental as their master, take some traits of the element they choose. You, for example, can no longer feel pain by the heat of fire, but be careful. Beings much stronger as you could still deal great amounts of damage to your body despite the immunity. I think you already noticed, the moment I touched your shoulder you didn't receive any torment by my flames."

"And my new title? Does it entail a special meaning?"

"Your title of 'Blazing Inquisitress' is your formal rank in our rows and describes you as some kind of special force. After your training you will be sent on missions, which need a more... delicate approach. You are no lesser fire elemental, the ones incapable of speech or following more complicated orders, those who are used in the army as patrols, for example. You will receive orders from me or other fire elementals in leading positions above your rank as a special force."

"I understand, master. I read that humans can learn their own kind of magic, if they have the potential to become magi. Will you teach me that in my lessons, too? I read about it in the notes of a former Scion of fire. He founded my school." Abacus really wanted to find out if she would have the potential to have more powers than one, but first she had to learn the extent of her abilities in her new position as an inquisitor.

Igniticious chuckled, a crackling sound was heard, "Ah, you mean Sombra, young Scion? I know about him. It was not I who was once summoned by him, but... I know that he failed. He got greedy and demanded things beyond him. A pity. He had such great potential, but picked the wrong path, leading to his own demise. I have the feeling you are not so foolish and know that greatness is not something you can demand. Let us begin your tutelage."

Cinch was ready, yes. She would learn what was necessary and she would rebuild, no, renew and improve her legacy, her reputation. She would make her mark in the world once again and nobody would stop her. She would make them all pay for their arrogance, every single one who dared to laugh at her.

The former principal knew who her targets were one day. Her master told her over the powers he gave Cinch. The High Recruiter said something about a task his master got from his master. Truly, she had a long way to go before she could meet the highest ranked fire elementals. And she wouldn't have it any other way. Only over hard work, dedication and the iron will to be better than others. Yes, one day, they would meet again and she would show them.

She would show them the capabilities of Abacus Cinch, the Blazing Inquisitress.

"My lord, one last question. What will you do about the girls who saw us? There are people in Canterlot City who know magic exists and they will try to stop us the moment they hear about our alliance." Those foolish CHS students would try to play hero again. She simply knew it.

High Recruiter Igniticious had a malicious glint in his eyes before he indulged her with more information, "Don't worry about them and listen well. The elementals of Terra have awaken. Ruins, places of old and races long forgotten are about to be revealed. 'Beings of Mythology', as ignorant humans call them, walk now on Earth and many of them are hungry. Many humans around the world 'are missing' already and only the strong may survive."

"B-But how exactly do you want to achieve that? We are talking about a place with a population of over 300.000 citizens. Those meddling teenagers may hide themselves somewhere until they can talk with others about us." Abacus wasn't sure how they could stop the Shadowbolts from talking about them in such a big city like Canterlot.

Her master chuckled darkly at his Scion's lacking faith, "I am confident there is not much for us to fear right now. The world is changing, every country, town or village has its own problems in this very moment we speak," Igniticious answered mysteriously, "Remember what I told you about the lesser fire elementals? They can't do much, but they can guard, defend, attack and conquer, if you are clever enough to use them to the best of their abilities. In our army is a pure force of lesser fire elementals and they could need the exercise to lose some dust from all these centuries of boredom. I know the elemental who leads them. He is not that strong in comparison, but he gets the job done. His name is Raga. I think they should pay them a visit. We shall unchain the Infernal Guard upon this human city. We will begin your training the moment I return. Wait for me and make yourself comfortable around this place in the meantime." In a teleportation flash he vanished.

Cinch looked in the distance and admired the view of the Burning Mountains. Her thoughts drifted finally to her future targets, "Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer. Please don't surrender too easily to this new world before we can meet again."

"-and that is everything what happened until you met us," Sunny Flare ended her tale in an exhausted voice. The dean of Crystal Prep was obviously very doubtful about the principal's supposed 'downfall into insanity', as Sugarcoat called it in their discussion. But after she heard more and more, she decided to believe the Shadowbolts. It was an incredible story. If she didn't know from the Friendship Games that magic was real, Cadance would have demanded a drug test for the five students.

She listened attentively and never knew that Cinch would go this far, "OK, girls. We have to go and find Twilight and this Sunset Shimmer. From what Principal Celestia told me, she and one of her 'friends out of town' know much more about magic than others. I will call Shining Armor and ask him some things. Perhaps you remember him, he was once an alumni of CPA and has connections to the police. Shining became a police officer recently, maybe he can help us with alarming the local authorities if this goes south.”

Cadance took out her phone and picked Shining's number. After half a minute he answered the call, "Cadie? I thought you are in the school at this time?"

"That does not matter at the moment. Listen Shiny, I will visit you at the police station immediately. It is very important," she informed briskly.

He stammered, confused and startled, "Wa-Wait, what do you mean? Cadance, I-," she ended the call and prepared herself to go this instant.

"Alright, I will take my leave, please be careful, we don't know what will happen next. Here, let us exchange our numbers Miss Flare. Please call me when you see something suspicious and for everything that is holy to you. Don't play hero again, just call me. You nearly died down there and I won't let you toss your lives away for nothing. Take care of yourselves." Dean Cadance ran outdoors swiftly, out of their sight.

The resulting awkward silence between the girls explained this entire day perfectly for them.

"Guys, we should totally leave the school and look around. See if we can find something suspicious," Lemon Zest offered her opinion in a rare, more serious voice.

"GAAHH! Come on! She really just wants from us to play nice and let her handle this? She didn't even see Cinch and what she was ready to do! The police will just get their asses kicked!" Indigo exclaimed in frustration.

Sunny Flare put a hand on her friend's shoulder to calm her down, "Indigo, we have no magic of our own. How are we supposed to do anything? Let's leave the school, like Lemon said, and look out for anything out of the ordinary. Or whatever can be defined as such in these days."

In the outskirts of Canterlot, hidden by curious eyes, a giant dark red portal made of flames appeared. The being who left it was a fire elemental. he was 8'3” and made of indigo flames. His body was very humanoid; not as thick as most other elementals. But what lacked in body, he had in power, enough to keep his position. He was more magically orientated, his flames could melt nearly anything and he took great pride in that ability. His eyes were navy in color and like all fire elementals they were like blazing, sharp looking holes which looked like they could see into your very soul. He wore royal blue armor with glowing orange runes as a full body armor. It gave him a more gallant appearance.

He was one of the few elementals who used a weapon. On his back rested a bastard sword. It was two meters long and 30 centimeters broad. Its sheath was navy blue and looked fancy with one little indigo rune as an ornament in its center. The blade itself was a silvery color for the most part and its sharp side was a burning ice blue. It was made of Zyphorium.

"So this is Canterlot City, the town High Recruiter Igniticious mentioned. I don't know why we have to attack this worthless place, but an order is an order. The higher ups will know what to do,” he mused, then, unsheathing his sword, raising it to the sky. He intoned, “Hear my call! Come and fight for the true lord of the fire elementals! Come, Infernal Guard!"

More portals, this time smaller, but with the same runes and color, appeared in their unholy glow. The Infernal Guard had arrived.

The lesser elementals were small, more in the size of normal humans, with a little range in their size from 5'3” to 6'6”, but they all looked the same. Their bodies were made of orange flames, with swirling fire instead of legs, which let them hover over the ground. They wore brown armor with three little orange runes per armor piece; on their bracers, helms and chest-plates. They had still a broader upper body than humans. In their helmets were blazing red eyes. The earth burned under their angry flames.

In the end, 1200 Infernal Guards assembled themselves.

"Burn this city to the ground and teach the inhabitants true fear! Attack!" their leader screamed at his soldiers.

He watched the beginning of the assault and already decided to teach the humans how unprepared they were. They couldn't win this fight. They didn't even know that the magic of their own world awoke or what magic even was. He would make them fear his Infernal Guard. He, Commander Raga, would bring their demise.

"It is good to see that nothing seemed to happen here. God, I just jinxed myself, didn't I?” Sour Sweet facepalmed for her tempting of fate.

"Sunny Flare, we should look out for something that can be called as 'out of the ordinary'. Well, I didn't see something like that, but can you hear that?" Sugarcoat asked in a monotone voice.

"Hm?" The friends listened to the loud noises. Then she recognized them: panicked screams, "We have to hurry!"

The Shadowbolts ran around Sugarcube Corner and what they saw horrified them to their very being. An entire army of fire elementals. They set buildings on fire and attacked every human in their sights, the dying screams of people, who burned to death, shocked them madly.

"Oh my god! They're killing everybody! They're burning down our hom-" She gasped in realisation. Before Indigo Zap could run back home, she was tackled to the ground by Lemon Zest, "Hey! Let me go Lemon! I have to leave! I have to save my parents!" She pleaded in blind fear.

"Dude! We have to stay together now. These guys will grill you like a chicken if you run off! They already spread, look around you. You have to believe that your parents will survive on their own," Lemon reasoned wisely with a very soothing tone.

She was right. Over the entire town, screams of humans were heard from all directions. They had to find a safe place; they had to run away!

Canterlot City had fallen.

Sunny Flare and her friends ran away as fast as their legs could carry them, demoralized from the assault on their once proud home. The skyscrapers the town had began to burn away under the attack of the elementals, two already collapsed and crushed every poor soul nearby under falling rubble.

Suddenly Sunny's cell phone vibrated.

"OH MY GOD CADANCE! It's terrible, the elementals...! Yes? Hm... oh... OK...WHAT?! Alright, fine, we are coming! Be safe and wait for us there!" She shouted into her phone. "Girls, we have to go! Dean Cadance found a place in the outskirts of the city where they think we'll be safe for some time," Sunny said with new courage.

"Where is this place?" Sugarcoat asked with a frightful voice.

"Sweet Apple Acres. Follow me; I know where that is. My mom always bought apples from there," the teenager explained, determined for the first time since the start of the attack and began to run again, the rest following her lead, "We can't go there without a vehicle, it would be suicide! We need a car. This is an one hour tour then, but none of us know how to drive..." Sunny Flare looked around for a fast solution, before some of the elementals caught up to them, “They are strong, but not fast,” she thought analytically.

As if a higher being heard her plea, a red car stopped besides them. The window went down and they saw...

"Moondancer?!" the Shadowbolts all exclaimed, surprised and happy at the same time to see at least one of their classmates alive and well.

Moondancer had cream colored skin, wore her signature glasses with black frames and her hair in a ponytail. The girls were never happier to see her.

"Girls, jump in! We have to go before these living disasters for every respectable physicist on this world catch up to us!" They didn't need a second invitation.

"So, any idea where to go?" She looked at her classmates pleadingly. There was no time for long debates.

"Shiny, please, I know that was too much for you. Don't bottle up your emotions," Dean Cadance pleaded with her fiance. She and Shining Armor tried to escape the never ending attacks of the Infernal Guard in form of head sized fireballs.

Her plan was to ask Shining to send the police to Crystal Prep under the, more or less true, cover story of a completely unexpected earthquake under the academy,and later to convince Shining Armor to let his colleagues search for anything suspicious.

Maybe they would have found something important.

The moment most of the police was ready, strange things attacked them. They were made of living fire and wore some kind of armor. That must have been the 'elementals' the girls talked about, Cadance guessed. The police answered by shooting bullets at them, but they didn't deal any damage at all, because the munition just burned to ashes in them or even before they reached their targets.

In the end, Shining grasped Cadance and they escaped in a close call with the help of the station's police jeep.

Others weren't as lucky as them.

They drove like mad for 40 minutes through town, hoping to escape the city and to search for survivors they could take with them in the jeep. Other people had the same idea and it was madness all around. Many streets were completely blocked because of burnt-out cars, sometimes with the car's passengers still inside.

He snorted angrily, "Cadie, I just had to watch colleagues of mine, people I called friends, some for years, BURN ALIVE. I don't know how I could look their families in the eye ever again. I was one of the leading officers and I could do NOTHING! I couldn't defend them like it was my duty. I failed and those things just slaughtered everybody. I just hope at least some of them could escape, before it was too late."

"I'm so sorry Shining. But you can't give up hope, we have still us and I'm sure many of your friends managed to escape in time," the dean of Crystal Prep said empathically.

Tears of despair, fury and self-loathing made themselves known on the young man's cheeks, "I wanted to protect the innocent, but we had to run away, like cowards. So many people burned and killed. I'm sure I saw our neighbor on the ground one block ago. You told me a lot of things before I started to assemble my colleagues. Things about Cinch, about these 'elementals', about the Friendship Games. I still can't believe Twily had a part in all of this. All this sounded like some fairy tale or Dungeons & Dragons kind of thing. I thought you just wanted to joke about my passion with games and comics about knights and other things I like. I certainly wasn't ready for this. I'm still not sure if I'm dreaming, but I fear that's our reality now."

Cadance rubbed gently his tears away with a finger and wanted nothing more than taking all his pain away, "I don't know why that had to happen, and so suddenly. I'm not even certain what will happen from now on, but we can't give up. Twily counts on us, she needs her big brother."

Shining Armor laughed bitterly, "You are right. Thanks. But honestly? I don't know what to do, I can't search for my parents, because these things destroyed the streets with their flames and in the inner city are most of them. I'm only relieved to know that Twilight and her new friends are safe. They, their principals and a few students wanted to spend a week in a summer camp; It was called 'Camp Everfree', I believe. She will be safe there. I will call her on her phone when we are somewhere safe," he explained his feelings and thoughts in a more determined state of mind.

"I know how you feel. I saw students, I consoled during my time as a dean in their hardest times, dead on the streets and I'm very close to a breakdown. That my ladybug is alright is one of the things that give me hope that we can survive this...! SHINING! THERE!" Cadance shouted urgently and pointed a finger in the direction of three young girls.

One of them wore a red ribbon on her head, had red hair and yellow skin, one girl had hair with two shades of mulberry and white skin and the last had fully purple hair and slightly orange skin color. Shining Armor stopped the jeep and shouted in their direction, "Girls! Come here, we'll bring you to safety!"

"But my sister told me to never go in some stranger's car-" one of the girls started.

"We have no time! You can trust us, please!" Cadance looked into their eyes with sincere hope and worry on her face. They were convinced.

After the trio safe in the car they tried to rest before the red haired member of the group spoke up frightfully, "T-Thank ya kindly. Without y'all these monsters would have gotten us. Ah'm Applebloom. Ma' friends here are Sweetie Belle an' Scootaloo," she said in a thick country accent.

"Do you have a home we can go to? Where are your parents?" Cadance asked with a motherly voice to calm them down.

"I don't know about my parents. They are on vacations somewhere and I didn't ask them. I live currently with my big sister, Rarity." Sweetie Belle answered with a little squeak in her voice.

"I have no idea about my parents either. My dad works as a businessman all over the world and only comes home once every few weeks over the weekend and my mom lives with me in the inner city, but those monsters destroyed and burned down everything there," Scootaloo had tears in her eyes, worried about her mom.

"Oh sweetie, everything will be OK. I'm sure your mother could escape in time," Cadance consoled the little girl.

"We sure as sugar can go to ma' home, Sweet Apple Acres. Our farm is in the outskirts o' the city. Ma' big brother and Granny Smith should be there and workin' on the farm right now," the country girl announced hopefully.

"Are you sure we'll be safe there Apple Bloom?" Scootaloo inquired nervously.

"Don't be a chicken, Scootaloo." Sweetie Belle joked, Applebloom giggled.

"Girls, calm down. Apple Bloom, show us the way," Shining Armor ordered.

"I will call sunny. Hopefully they are fine," that being said, Cadance chose Sunny Flare's number.

After one hour they reached Sweet Apple Acres, hoping that enough people could escape. The entire city was ablaze now. Luckily for them, Sweet Apple Acres had the biggest distance between the city and as the orchards came into sight they didn't see any fire elementals. Maybe they were lucky.

The jeep stopped short and everybody stepped out to look at their "new home" for the time being.

"Big Mac! Granny!" Apple Bloom screamed longingly as she jumped out of the car and ran into the house.

Shining parked the vehicle in front of the entrance for safety measures. As they went to go in, Appl Bloom came back out with a tall, well built young man; Big McIntosh, and an older woman who could only be Granny Smith.

"Ah'll be. Ma' little Apple told the truth. We really do have visitors." Granny Smith smiled warmly at them. Then she whispered into her grandchild, Big Mac's, ear, "Look at that. This fine young lady sure looks nice, doesn't she?" Big Mac blushed a little bit on his cheeks and saw his granny's mischievous smile.

"How much do you know about the situation?" Cadance asked, completely missing the conversation.

"Enough. Big Mac her' was in Canterlot when these vermints attacked the city and came back as fast as he could. We will show them! They won't take this land away from us!" Granny declared hotly. "An Apple never leaves his farm, and no vermin will tell us otherwise!"

"Eeyup," Big Mac supported in all his wisdom.

"Those things are called fire elementals and common weapons don't hurt them at all. Do you have maybe something to defend us here? Like great amounts of water?" Shining asked, feeling a little stupid for such a question.

"Eeyup," came the long reply.

"Can you show me the way?" he enquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Eeyup." Big Mac started to walk to the barn and Shining followed him.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Shining commented, grinning.

"Nope," the farmer answered with his own smile.

After they came back, Shining wasn't as cheerful as the others thought. He sighed in exhaustion, "If I'm honest we can maybe defend us against a few of them, but in the end we can't hold this place. There were hundreds of those things and if they come here, this place is lost.”

"Shining-", Cadance started, as they heard a car on its way to the house. They all ran outside to look at who it was and saw...

"Girls!" the dean screamed joyfully, "Thank goodness! You're fine! I was so worried about you!"

"We just escaped certain death. No biggie," Lemon Zest replied in a relaxed tone.

"I'm sure we are out of the worst for the time being. Seriously, this was too close, I thought we were goners!" Sour Sweet added her thoughts.

"Well Ah'll be. come in young 'uns. Y'all are in for our famous 'Apple hospitality'. Time to eat something, no fight was ever won with an empty stomach, right Big Mac?" Granny Smith asked her grandson.

"Eeyup!"

Before he could go his way Granny Smith whispered once again in his ear, "Lookie here, now there are seven beautiful youn' girls for ya! Choose wisely and make me many little Apples, y'hear?" She walked into the kitchen and left Big Mac alone.

He could only muster one answer to his grandmother's idea. With a blood red head and full conviction he shouted to the heavens a frantic, "NOPE!"

Author's Note

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Just that you know, I will use italics for Sour Sweet's Sour personality...best joke ever :eeyup: and the elementals, because they don't really have vocal chords, so I wanted to make it clear that they don't 'speak' in the common sense.

And the trick to stop the Shadowbolts from interfering was made by me to go another approach. I always see this typical: "Hero-comes-in-the-last-second-and-stops-the-summoning-of-other-beings-in-last-second-cliche". And it is boring as hell. :pinkiecrazy:

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 3 - Revelations

The sunset painted itself slowly on the sky over the Everfree Forest and the twilight was approaching. But the girls didn't return until now. Something had to be done and Principal Celestia feared greatly for her students. After a discussion for a course of action with Luna she took a flashlight with her and started to search for the girls. She had to find them and hoped that the creature didn't harm her students. In the meantime.

Her sister would stay behind with the rest, keeping them safe. She had two half-moon knives, with, appropriately, a half-moon symbol engraved into the blade at her disposal and would wait for her return.

Celestia took the direction the Rainbooms went in and followed deep footprints in the mud. She was lucky some of the girls wore stronger built high heels. The principal encountered strange critters and plants she'd never seen or heard before in her life, the trail led to a cave and she went in, deeply worried about the safety of her students. The principal wished she didn't. She found things beyond her fears and worse, the trail of the girls, too.

They had to see such terrible things... was it a mistake she made? Should she have demanded from them to stay in the bus, no matter what? Why didn't they come back already despite the fact that they found out the truth? Was there another reason, and if so, what? After Celestia left the cave and found another trail, which led to a nearby big hill, she hoped to find the girls from up there, or at least a hint, which would lead her to them.

There they stood, curiously in the outfits they wore in Camp Everfree as they fought Gloriosa, may her soul rest in peace, and they didn't move a single muscle. Celestia couldn't be happier. She'd finally found them at the top of the hill! But something wasn't right. They all looked in the same direction, in a paralyzed state of.... was it horror? Desperation? Why? Her knowledge about body language told her only so much and she walked behind them to find out the reason for their behaviour.

Then she saw it; Canterlot City, burned entirely. How was that possible?! Celestia was rarely out of her element. You had to do quite a bit in order to get a reaction out of her, but that? A rare event took place in this very moment... Principal Celestia was speechless.

What could she say to them? 'Everything will be alright'? Or 'Don't worry, I'm sure it will be fine'? She, too, was shocked to the core. That something like this could happen would never have entered her mind. Celestia was disturbed about the cause of this. Did another magical being from Equestria attack? Or was it something else entirely?

She could see it, even from this distance; The burning skyscrapers, the inner city, the parks, outer districts... CHS...

The principal hoped with all her heart that the citizens escaped the flames in time, but the hope was small. A building can be built anew, lives, not so much. But she had to mourn the dead at a later time. Now she had a more important task to attend to. She had to give these young girls hope. Celestia always could trust in her instincts. They never let her down and they told her in this moment that the Rainbooms would play a bigger role in the coming future, especially Sunset Shimmer. So she decided to make her attendance known.

"Girls..." their principal started with a tone they never heard from her before. Compassion, kindness, worry, fear, faith, determination and a hint of anger, all heard in this one word. They looked at once at Celestia, with empty, sad eyes, void of hope, and a little bit of curiosity in Sunset Shimmer's case. Celestia took a deep breath, looked every one of her students in front of her in the eyes, one by one, and prepared herself mentally for the most important speech in her life.

Then she started, "I can't say for sure what you might feel now, especially young and innocent souls like you. But I have an idea. This act of insanity made you desperate, it took all hope away from you for a better tomorrow. But please believe me when I say that this is not the case. Maybe your loved ones escaped the flames. Maybe not, but we can't possibly know that, yet. Materials can be replaced and new homes can be built, but... whoever did this can only win if you surrender now and stop fighting back. When you give into your desperation, when you give up on life itself. Believe me when I say that I share your pain and suffering. People we call friends, people we call colleagues, people we call family..."

Her audience started to awake from its despair-induced shock.

"I fear many lost their lives in the process of this disaster, but you know what? They wouldn't want you to give up, to despair, to stop dreaming, because they can no longer be with you in body. But they will always be with you in spirit. They will always be in your hearts and they will never be forgotten, as long as you live and they would want for you to live. The world is changing. Magic, what we believed would only be possible in fairy tales or in Equestria, becomes now more and more a part of our world. I saw plants on my way here and little animals I never encountered before in my life and shouldn't exist like they do. Flora and fauna, they adapted both to the new rules which came into existence... and we have to do the same. We have to adapt in this new world. We have to fight for what we believe is right and we have to defend our beloved ones from those who wish to take everything away from us. You saw what happened to the poor humans in the cave. They died, because they were killed by a being stronger than them, they had nobody who defended them. But sometimes there is only so much we can do."

Sunset smiled softly, Twilight and Rarity looked at each other in a mix of sadness and acknowledgement of what was said and the rest of the girls developed grins of their own.

"We try our best, we believe that our way of life is the right way, that we follow a moral-code which should be followed by all. And in the end all of our efforts could result in nothingness. But we forget two things: The world is not always simple and life is not always easy. Both can be much more complicated- No, both are much more complicated. This is the moment of truth, the moment which decides if you are able to adapt without losing yourself, or if you will fail, because you couldn't bring yourself to make necessary sacrifices. There are times in life when we are forced into things we didn't want to take a part in. Sometimes we have to fight our battles with the word and sometimes with the sword. We have to take responsibilities, leadership, risks, injuries or even lives. Not because we want to, but because we have to. If we wouldn't make this sacrifices and choose our own innocence and morals before everything else, then we have to live with the consequences. Please believe me when I say that these are all things I didn't want for you. I'm an adult; older, wiser, more experienced in life. We learned from our mistakes, or so it is said. In my job as a principal I always wanted to help my students. I wanted to prepare them for life, to give them hope that the future is nothing to be feared, but something to embrace."

Their principal was right. They could mourn another time, their fellow classmates were counting on them, waiting for their return.

"To be there for them and support their dreams to the best of my abilities. Growing up is an unavoidable part of life. You have to live on your own, follow your dreams, make hard decisions. You girls should still be protected from life, but I had to understand that my opinion did not matter. That I had to let you go already, even before you reached adulthood. I had to understand that I could not protect you any longer. At the times of the Fall Formal, the Battle of the Bands, the Friendship Games or lately Camp Everfree, I never could support you in these magical events, only in spirit. And still... I want to be there for you as more than just a simple teacher. You girls are able to help, to make this world a better place, even if only for a little bit, to protect the defenseless. So I want to let you know that you can count on me, always. The sun will always step aside for the night, the time of rest, the time of dreams. But the sun is the symbol of a promise to this world and all its inhabitants. The sun will always return to us. There will always be another day, there will always be another dawn. In the end, no matter how dark and uncertain these times are, there will always be hope," she finished passionately.

The girls weren't interested in the words of the woman at the beginning, but as the speech progressed, the spark of life returned in their eyes and they listened to every word Celestia had to say.

At the end of her speech the seven friends had, once again, tears in the eyes. Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Twilight even cried openly. Only this time there were no tears of sadness or desperation, but hope, determination and gratitude towards the encouraging principal and her words. Pinkie Pie's hair puffed back into all its gravity-defying glory.

Sunset was deeply touched by the speech of their principal, of Celestia, this motherly warmth and compassion reminded her of her days with her former mentor, Princess Celestia, in her days as a filly. She wanted to thank her, but suddenly Celestia's body started to glow in a golden light, like the sun itself. The girls had to close their eyes because of the brightness.

After the light was weaker and they could open their eyes again, the Rainbooms were in for a surprise. Principal Celestia's appearance had changed. Before she still wore her attire from Camp Everfree. But now she wore something else. Her entire body was clad in knightly armor, golden in color and with silver accents on the gauntlets. The upper half of the helmet had glowing silver lines that dissolved from the end of the feet to the upper chest over her entire armor in beautiful flourishes. Her helmet had two sharp wing shaped additions on the sides of the top. That was not everything that changed. She had now a great golden heater shield in her left hand. with a symbol in its center as an emblem. Princess Celestia's Cutie Mark, Sunset recognized. In her right hand was a sword with a golden hilt and a 1.6 meter long blade with two edges. its form reminiscent of the traditional swords of Templars. The blade itself was pure white, adorned with a gold line from the pommel to the hilt. The blade itself looked like it gleamed in a golden light.

Celestia put aside her sword and took off her helmet, "I didn't expect that," she said in a monotone, but curious voice.

"That... is... so... awesome!" Rainbow Dash fangirled.

"Principal Celestia, your new armor is simply divine! This gorgeous color pattern, the adornments! It looks so... breathtaking," Rarity expressed her appreciation for her principal's outfit.

"It looks wonderful," Fluttershy supported her friends in her timid voice.

"Well, Ah'll be. Ya look readier for a fight than an untrained, angry bull before a rodeo," Applejack said in all her countryish wisdom.

"I have to give you your own personal 'You-are-an-extremely-awesome-super-fantastirific-shiny-knight-party'!" Pinkie Pie fired word after word.

This earned a look from her friends.

“It's a working title?” Pinkie said, sheepishly.

Twilight changed the topic, "Thank you very much, Principal Celestia. That was the best speech I ever heard and... I... *sniff*" Twilight wiped her tears away with her sleeves. She admired and respected the principal for her conviction even more now.

Sunset was astonished by this. Celestia got her own magic, it seemed. But how? Then she remembered something the chimera said to her in their private conversation...

"...As I already stated, this world has its own magic since its very dawn. That means that every being can be bequeathed with a form of magic. If you want to find and learn to master it, you should concentrate and search for your inner sanctum. In time you may find the answers you seek, Sunset Shimmer. Or, if you are lucky, your power will find you."

So her faith, her conviction and will to help them awoke the magic inside of her? Sunset had to ask, "Sorry, Principal Celestia, can I ask you something? Maybe it is important, maybe not, but do you have any idea what your magic is exactly or do you feel anything? I heard from... someone that this world and its inhabitants can have their own form of power inside of them and now, because magic started to awaken, some humans might be able to use it."

Celestia tapped her chin with an armored finger and thought about Sunset's words, "Now that you mention it, in the moment this magic surrounded me it felt like an important part of me.... well, woke up, you might say. It felt not only like some sort of magic or strange power, but my magic, if you know what I mean with that, I can't really explain it otherwise. I just felt the warmth, I felt like I always was incomplete without the magic in my life before. It gave me a name, yes. My magic is called 'Solar Magic'. And before you ask, I have no idea how I can use it or what I can do with it. I've never had such power before in my life. Hmm. I never thought I would say something like that," she finished her explanation.

That information was indeed important for Sunset. The principal confirmed the chimera's words and that opened a whole new can of worms. She made a mental list, because it meant that:

Every human and other being on this world had a spark of magic inside them.

Not everyone can use their inner magic, what meant not everybody could become a mage.

What kinds of magic were possible? Celestia had Solar Magic, similar to the princess, but without the ability to control the sun, it seemed. Could someone have something like Arcane Magic? Air, Dark, Fire, Shadow, Light ...the possibilities were endless.

How will the magic from Equestria influence the magic of Terra? Would more people 'pony-up' or would they change otherwise? Not every human on this world had a Pony counterpart.

And most importantly for her, would she even be able to use magic from here? She originated from Equestria and wasn't born as a human. Would that change anything for her? And what about other beings from Equestria, like the Sirens?

The group walked back to the school bus. Celestia said she or Luna would drive it, as long as they didn't have any traffic. She wondered, why didn't they see any cars? Couldn't anyone escape the city before that, whatever it was, happened? As they got closer, the group heard noises, it sounded like a fight. They needed to return, fast!

"Girls, hurry! That came from the direction of the bus!" Celestia directed and charged ahead.

Rainbow Dash wanted to fly to the bus, but before she could do that, Applejack stopped her and pulled her back to the ground by the hair extension.

"Whoa, Nelly! We hafta stay together. Ya have no idea what is happening there." Applejack lectured, even if she wanted to storm ahead, too. Rainbow just was the first to try it.

"Girls, I have never used my magic, but I have this equipment now, so I should manage, let's go!" Celestia ordered them.

They hurried and what they found at the bus was... not what they expected.

The bus was attacked, they just didn't expect that the attackers would meet their inglorious demise in the form of two void-black scimitars, which looked like they sucked in the light nearby. They were 1.4 meters long, and had one sharp edge. On the sharp side of the blades were three thin silver lines. The midnight blue hilts each had a symbol, a half moon with a black background that looked like an inkblot, in the center. The hilts had brandished adornments and a noble form, like only known from the best crafted swords of old. The wielder of the swords wore full body armor. The armor was, like the sword hilts, midnight blue. It had very sharp edges on the knees, knuckles, elbows, and the helmet. it had accents in the form of fine, dark orchid flourishes upon the armor's chest. The wielder himself had two jet black wings on the back, angelic in their appearance and not small like the Pegasus wings Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy received when their own wings appeared. In general, the figure looked still very feminine in appearance, it had to be a woman.

"Oh come on! She looks so freaking awesome, too! And her wings! Why are my wings not as big as hers?" Rainbow pouted in jealousy.

Pinkie Pie looked at her friend with a very smug expression and started, "Cheer up Dashie. She might be better assembled, but you know how the saying goes: 'It is not the size, but the technique that matters'." Rainbow Dash blushed in response and the other girls chuckled. Except Rarity, who mumbled something about 'uncouth behaviour' under her breath.

The enemies themselves were nothing the girls, except Sunset, ever saw before in their lives. The amber girl was surprised; They looked more dangerous than their Equestrian counterparts and more aggressive to boot. Had this world their own versions of every being from Equis and even creatures which didn't exist there, too?

They looked like wolves, but were way bigger, with a shoulder height of 5.6 feet and made entirely of ebony colored wood and dark red eyes. They had sharp, hardened thorns as teeth and thicker, but not less dangerous, claws in a dark brown coloration and yellow maple-leaves on their ears, Sunset knew what they were.

"What are these hideous things?" Rarity asked fearfully.

"Timberwolves. We have them in the Everfree Forest in Equestria, too. They just look a lot different here," Sunset elucidated for her friends and Celestia.

"Yes that too, I guess, but I was talking about this crime of fashion! Their entire body is made of black wood. That was last season!" the others groaned at Rarity's lack of priority.

A lot of destroyed timber laid around the bus, which had its share of scratches and bite marks over its whole length. Luckily it looked still intact and the students inside all seemed to be unharmed.

Only two wolves remained; they circled around the dark knight and waited for an opportunity to strike, enraged that she destroyed the members of their pack. One of them was two heads bigger than the other; the alpha.

The figure just chuckled in a familiar voice and propelled herself in the air with her wings, "Have at thee!" The knight landed with an fast downswing on the smaller wolf and destroyed it with two well-aimed cuts.

"Magnificent style! She knows what to do!" Rarity said, impressed.

The alpha was now truly angry and howled out loud, a howl which echoed into the sky. Its eyes glowed in an unholy light. Suddenly the entirety of the wood around the bus flew to the alpha and surrounded its body. It grew in size to 11 feet and growled dangerously at the midnight blue stranger.

Because of the helmet nobody saw it, but the woman smiled behind it in glee and shouted enthusiastically, "Huzzah! The fun has been doubled!"

Celestia groaned, facepalming, "I should have known," she whispered in annoyance.

With inhuman speed, the figure ran in the direction of the giant wooden wolf, which made itself ready to strike her with one of its claws.

"Is she crazy?!" Twilight demanded to know, pulling her bangs a little bit with her hands.

"I can't look!" Fluttershy said in her soft voice and closed her eyes, praying for the knight's survival.

The wolf swiped with a paw, snarling, but the figure dodged easily, jumping above the claw. Still, her foe didn't give up and tried to bite in quick succession. The knight evaded with her wings every time and flew around the alpha in circles. She cut deep with her swords into the wood without any problem. After cutting off the hind legs and partially immobilizing her opponent, she landed shortly on the wolf's back, vaulted high into the air in a moonsault, pointed her swords downward and rammed both blades into the skull of the ligneous lupine with full force. The alpha couldn't even cry out in pain and just fell down on the ground with its massive body, causing a little earthquake for a few seconds. It was dead.

"You were a worthy opponent, but in the end the midnight blue avenger, the shadow of the night, the queen of dreams, the-", someone tapped her shoulder and she turned around, Celestia was in her face with a very angry expression, "-hehe... oops. Welcome back sister."

"Sister?!" the seven girls screamed in common disbelief..

The figure took off her helmet and indeed, Vice-Principal Luna's face was now to be seen, "And you said my sword lessons would be a waste of money and useless. Look how I defended our students," Luna exclaimed proudly to her sister. Just now she noticed her sister's own armor and looked very surprised, "Oh, did your magic come awake as well? Cellie, that is great! Think about it! Now that our power has been increased we can defeat the next threat from Equestria on our own!" the vice-principal said in a happy tone.

Celestia looked frustrated and sighed, "Luna, please don't call me that in front of our students. You know I hate that nickname. Now to my second point... what was that!? I know you can handle yourself, but you toyed around with these things and could have been hurt in the process!"

Luna snorted, "Calm down Celestia. I just had a little bit of fun, that's all. I wanted to test my new abilities and you won't believe it. I waited for you and the girls.” She switched her attention for a few moments to the Rainbooms, “And by the way I'm glad you are all OK.” Before she turned back to face her twitching sibling, “We feared the worst after you didn't return-" she smiled, reassured at the girls' presence, "-and some time ago we heard noises from all sides of the forest and twenty-" Celestia raised one eyebrow, "-okay... six of these wooden wolves surrounded the bus and immediately started to attack. After the windows started to crack I had to do something and more importantly, protect our students. Then... I'm not really sure. Suddenly I was engulfed from a white light that reminded me of the moon and the next moment I opened my eyes, I had my armor and my swords. though my knives are lost. Then I left the bus and attacked these things.”

"And what is with these sweet wings?!" Rainbow demanded to know, still jealous.

The vice-principal thought about her answer, "Well, I knew that I had no chance on the ground and was frustrated. Suddenly some of my magic kind of... reacted and my wings came into existence out of nowhere. Don't ask me how. Though, let's just say that if I was being serious I could have been done with them in seconds. So, what is the name of your magic, sister? Mine is called 'Lunar Magic'.”

"Solar Magic," Celestia answered shortly. "Luna, just because you have Lunar Magic now does not mean you will be awake the whole night, understand?"

"What would you do if I don't obey you? Seal me within the moon? Will that be my punishment if I declare that the night shall last forever and I don't want to go to sleep?" Luna joked with a smile.

"Maybe," Celestia joked back with a smile of her own.

Sunset Shimmer groaned and facepalmed with force. The others looked at her, very confused.

After the girls and the principals concentrated on their magic, the principals' attire, under Sunset's guidance, returned to normal and the weapons vanished. They went aboard the bus and the other students asked many questions, like if they found the bus driver or what the sisters just did. They were very distressed by the news about the cave, but the group and Principal Celestia had bigger problems. They had to tell the others about the fate of Canterlot City.

Suddenly Twilight's second bag moved and her dog, Spike, poked his head out of it, earplugs in his ears. He looked around, still very sleepy, but he managed to take out the plugs with his paws... however he managed to do that. He yawned tiredly, "Hey, Twilight! You were right! These earplugs were amazing. I slept like a little puppy. I had the most amazing dream; I was chasing squirrels and rabbits and cats and I always won... so... what did I miss?" Everyone laughed wholeheartedly in response, the first time since the start of the entire incident.

Sunset Shimmer was nervous. What could they do now? The city was lost and they couldn't return to it. A much worse thought entered her mind and she started to panic inside. Canterlot High was surely destroyed as well. What about the portal?! Was it destroyed completely?! Had she no way now to return to Equestria at all?!

She took the book she used to communicate with Princess Twilight and looked at it. Should she write to Twilight about it? What could she even do?

Whatever happened to the city was much more than a simple attack, she was sure of it. That was planned. She wanted to believe in the teachings of the princess. She saved her from herself and brought her and the Rainbooms together after all. But this place was not Equestria. You couldn't solve everything here with some force like the Magic of Friendship, like Twilight did on the other side of the mirror-portal.

Sunset found that out the hard way in the chimera's cave.

Still, she wondered how the Ponies of Equestria would react if such a thing happened there with one of their cities. What would Princess Celestia do? She lived the most part of her life with Ponies and in her time there her old self was always annoyed by the always-happy-and-chipper-attitude most Equestrians had.

Sunset just wanted to study for her princesshood and be left alone. OK, the Unicorn nobles of Canterlot were another thing, even in her worst times they topped her. Sunset always disliked them. She was maybe a big bully earlier, but she never used her influence to jail other Ponies or trick them out of their houses just to build a bigger pool.

The Unicorn-turned-human really didn't know what she should think. With her actual state of mind she would think that her friends were right, as they once all talked about Equestria and compared it to this world.

It was like a fairy tale.

No documented wars in the immediate past, major conflicts, terrorists, murder, the weather was controlled by Pegasi, the harvest was nearly always perfect because of the Earth Ponies and the Unicorns did the more detailed work with help of their magic. Ponies even controlled the seasons in Equestria on their own. She had to live in this world for years now and needed to understand how life worked for non-ponies.

Back home dragons, Gryphons, Zebras, minotaurs, Diamond Dogs, Yaks, the Horses of Saddle Arabia, Thestrali and all the others had to live on their own, like the humans here. No control of seasons, weather, crops... she wondered why there weren't any books about other races in greater detail in the history section of the castle. Most of them were feared by other Ponies, especially the carnivores.

Sunset remembered how a new maid in the palace once reacted as she saw a Gryphon for the first time in her life. The former Unicorn swore she never saw a mare that fainted this fast before in her young life.

Great, now she felt ashamed.

It was strange how your view on something changed when you didn't have it anymore.

Well, it was time to face the music and to tell the other students about Canterlot, Principal Celestia must have felt the same as Sunset, because she announced, "Attention, students! I have something important to tell you. Ýou have the right to kn-" Twilight's cell phone started to ring loudly. Pinkie and Rainbow chuckled at her.

With slightly pink tinted cheeks she answered the call, "Shiny? What is...? I... yes... hmm... I understand, but I already know about that... yes don't worry about me I'm with my friends and we... where?...OK, I will tell them. Bye BBBFF! We'll talk later..."

Twilight ended the call. Her friends and Principal Celestia, much to Luna's confusion, looked worried, but relaxed, as Twilight smiled at them, "Don't worry, he is fine, but I have to tell you something." she looked at Celestia and announced for all to hear, "My brother told me that he and Dean Cadance are safe and that they wait with a few others at Sweet Apple Acres for us. I don't know why, but he said we would be safe there and 'they' are not around the farm yet... I don't know who he meant."

Applejack was never happier in her life, "Land's sake! Ah sure as sugar was never more at ease. Ah hope ma' family is alright," she exclaimed worriedly.

The students had no idea what Twilight and Applejack were talking about. Luna got a very bad feeling in her gut and looked nervously at her sister.

Celestia sat herself in the driver's seat, started the motor and began to drive the bus at a moderate speed in the direction of the infamous farm of Sweet Apple Acres. She coughed to get the attention from everyone in the bus. "Luna, my dear students, you were surely wondering where the girls and I were all this time. I will tell you, because I have to give you terrible news..."

The principal told them about the findings in the cave in greater detail, including the camp directors’ state, and the fate of their once beloved home. Never before in the nearly 100 year long history of CHS was a bus journey so filled with tears, despair, depression, terror, anger and hatred.

After a few minutes, students started to accuse Sunset Shimmer and Equestrian magic for everything, tossed the most insulting names at her, ‘she-demon’ and ‘bitch’ counted among the most harmless ones. Some took knives out of their pockets in their anger and stormed in Sunset's direction, but before worse could happen, Twilight levitated all students at once in the air and the girls were desperately trying to calm the others down. Spike growled at everyone who even looked in their direction.

Vice-Principal Luna took the news calmly, like her sister, on the outside. But her inner world was a cocktail of many feelings all at once... she swore to herself and every victim that she would avenge all the humans that were killed and to make that the ones responsible for that act suffered her wrath. She summoned her armor, without weapons this time. Sunset shortly explained how the sisters could feel and command their inner magic, they took to it very fast. It was the same principle as in Equestria for a Unicorn.

Luna positioned herself between the seven friends and the rest and declared in a cold voice that she would punish everyone who would try to hurt Sunset Shimmer any further. This promise calmed most students down. They were maybe fueled by anger and hatred in this moment, but trying to disobey the lunar knight wouldn't be the best idea, or the healthiest for that matter.

But the damage was already done. They were right to be angry, Sunset thought bitterly. But when did it happen? What- or who did that? Did it come from Equestria? Worse, was she somehow responsible? She had a lot to think about on the way.

Sweet Apple Acres, the most traditional orchard between Canterlot and Appleloosa, founded by Granny Smith. A farm in the third generation of the widely distributed Apple Family. Of course they used machines to ease their workload nowadays, but they didn't use pesticides or too much fertilizer. That could make the fields overused after some seasons. They had a lot of orchards, mostly different kinds of apples and furthermore crops like rye, hops and some farm animals like cows, chicken, pigs and horses. The Apples used the hops in order to produce their famous Hard Apple-Cider and sold it in their very own ‘Cider Season’ in autumn. But they didn't just sell the harder version, but normal Apple-Cider with naturally fermented apples, too.

The girls sometimes visited Applejack over the weekend, helped her at the farm and enjoyed the country style of life. In the process, Rarity was inspired with more rural designs, as she explained to her friends. Everyone had a good laugh. Applejack just chuckled politely at the time.

"Look, the others are waiting already. I can see Cadance, my brother, the Apples and... the Shadowbolts?!" Twilight was now really confused, but couldn't really say that she wasn't happy they survived; the contrary, in fact.

"I'm glad they are all alive. I would feel so awful if something would have happened to them," Fluttershy said, relieved.

The door of the bus opened and the girls, under the watchful eyes of the principals, so that the other students wouldn't do something stupid, left first.

"Twily!" Shining Armor exclaimed and ran up to embrace his LSBFF happily, glad she was unharmed.

The girl in question hugged her brother back. After that she turned around and saw someone she didn't have seen since the teenager left CPA, "Moondancer?!"

"Hey Twi, it is nice to see you. I know we are not really friends anymore, but- OOF!" Moondancer couldn't finish, because Twilight tackled her to the ground, tears in her eyes.

Her emotions got the better of the book lover, "*sniff* I'm so glad you're OK! I was so worried about everybody when I saw the city! Sorry I didn't meet you anymore since I transferred to Canterlot High, but I just... forgot. I know that's no excuse and I ignored you earlier in my life. But I always enjoyed your company, I just never thought about it, only after the other girls helped me to see that friendship is something important. I remembered our time together, I found out that you always tried to befriend me, but I was so caught up in learning something, that I never thought about it. Please, forgive me!" Moondancer teared up too, Cadance watched them and was rarely more proud of her little ladybug.

"Sweetie Belle, thank godness!"

"Applebloom! Big Mac! Granny!"

Rainbow Dash walked up to Scootaloo, "Hey squirt! Are you alright?" Rainbow Dash tried to ask in a cool voice so that she wasn't too mushy.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash, I'm OK, all... extremely frightening stuff aside" Scootaloo gave her idol a fist, trying to be relaxed in order to imitate the chromatic athlete's awesomeness.

"I'm so happy you are all alive! Next time you could hurry up and help before everything goes to Tartarus, you know?!” Sour Sweet tried to be happy to see them.

"Hey, Sunset Shimmer! Are you alright?" Sunny Flare questioned the depressed looking girl in question.

"Hmm? Oh. Yes. Don't worry about me. We just had a hard time before we found you," Sunset answered with a perfected fake smile to avoid further questions. It worked.

"Vice-Principal Luna-", Dean Cadance wanted to start.

"Oh, be quiet and come here niece!" Luna embraced the clearly flustered woman. Celestia smiled at them.

The matriarch of the Apple Family cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres! Ah hope ya young 'uns are hungry. We prepared more'n enough for everyone. No one will starve on our lands. That there is our famous Apple Hospitality fer ya," Granny Smith announced proudly.

"Applebloom, your friends and you should come too, Big Mac, please help me out. Ma' old bones are just not the same anymore." She smiled at her grandson as he turned around to follow her plea.

Granny Smith looked knowingly in the direction of the principals and they nodded their heads thankfully in response.

Most students of CHS, Moondancer and the kids followed Granny Smith and Big Mac to the house. In the meantime Principal Celestia led the rest to an older barn in the western orchards, where only old tools and hay were kept. The Shadowbolts, the Rainbooms, Shining Armor, Dean Cadance, Spike and the sisters sat around in a circle, then Celestia started.

"Alright, I think we all know why we are here--"

"A party?" Pinkie Pie asked in her chipper tone.

"No, Ms. Pie-"

"A surprise party?"

"Pinkie, I-"

"A birthday par-"

"MS. PIE!" Luna finally shouted. She had quite enough of her student's antics.

"Thank you Luna. As I wanted to say, we are here now to update each other on what the others here present missed and should do that in a chronicled order, if possible. I will start..."

The others were astonished that something like that happened when they heard about Camp Everfree and how the girls transformed shortly with the geodes into their magical forms to prove her point. The Shadowbolts were envious of their new outfits and Shining muttered something about a ‘magical-girls-cliche’.

Afterwards she explained the events of the kidnapping of their driver, her findings in the cave and the girls later, but surprisingly for the principals and the Rainbooms, the others didn't react as disgusted as they thought.

They wondered why.

She proceeded with telling them about the timberwolves they encountered and Luna's fight. The others asked for another demonstration and Celestia and Luna equipped fully. Shining was now very jealous, because he always dreamed of being a knight. Cadance and Twilight giggled at his plight. She finished her side of the story with that they decided to come here after Shining's call.

Luna filled the group in about their little problem with the students and their accusations regarding Sunset Shimmer. The others were upset about that. They didn't share their side yet, but they could tell it was unfair to blame her for anything, especially because the elementals were at fault. Shining promised to be on guard around the other students and to watch out for them, if they planned to harm her. Sunset thanked him.

Now it was Sunset's turn. She told the group about everything, including her private conversation with the chimera. this part interested her friends, too. The others couldn't really decide how to react to that.

Shining and Indigo Zap were angry and wanted to hunt the chimera down for what they did to the humans. Luna, Celestia and Cadance were curious. They were disgusted at the chimera's doings, yes, but they could understand them. The other humans were easy prey and naturally they were predators. Furthermore, in the end they helped the girls and answered some of Sunset's questions. And, most importantly, they didn't harm them.

The rest of the Shadowbolts were very interested in the information they received. Up until now they saw the fire elementals, but timberwolves? A chimera? What was next? And maybe they could discover their own magic. Who knows, right? What Sunset didn't tell them about was her fear that in the end it could be her fault that all this happened in the first place.

Shining Armor and Dean Cadance told about their experiences, including the earthquake at Crystal Prep, the confrontation of the police with the elementals, the downfall of Canterlot City and how they found the three girls on their way before they escaped and came to Sweet Apple Acres.

The last part made Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity especially happy and they thanked them in deep gratitude.

Now it was the turn of the people of CHS to be surprised. They already wondered what or who was responsible for the city's demise. They never would have thought that some creatures like the so-called ‘fire elementals’ did that, but they understood now why the rest didn't get ill or something like that after they were told about the cave. They couldn't believe that those things would do something horrible like that; so many humans died in such cruel ways as the beings of fire burned down their homes to ashes.

It made them upset, sad but mostly... angry. They feared about the rest of their families and friends. Fluttershy was even worried about her big brother Zephyr Breeze. The situation was truly terrifying.

Lastly, Sunny Flare told their side of the tale and after she ended with their escape from Canterlot with Moondancer's help, the others' jaws dropped. Except Shining and Cadance for some parts, who knew most things already, again.

They couldn't believe it! Crystal Prep was built by some crystal-addicted lunatic, this Sombra?

There was an ancient society, the ‘Scions of the Elementals’, who worshiped these beings? So those elementals weren't from Equestria? At least Sunset never heard of them in her time as Princess Celestia's student.

But the most important part was about the person who blackmailed Twilight into participating in the Friendship Games in the first place, Abacus Cinch. She made a pact with that elemental, that High Recruiter Igniticious. She transformed, infused by some kind of magic, they guessed, and was ready to harm the girls without hesitation.

Was she really that petty? Just because the woman didn't win the Friendship Games she sold her soul? At least that was what happened in their opinion. Luna, Celestia and Sunset wanted to do nothing more than to find and to confront her for her crimes. How dared she endangering innocents for her hurt feelings?! Maybe it was even her fault that the fire elementals attacked the city in the first place. It couldn't be a coincidence; the elementals attacked shortly after she disappeared? Likely story. They were sure it was somehow Cinch's fault.

"Wow, that was a doozy!" Pinkie Pie announced and summed up this conversation for everyone.

"I say, darling, I think we should return to the house, I'm worried about Sweetie Belle, especially around these ungrateful brutes. Hmph!" Rarity said, disgusted by the earlier behaviour of some of their fellow students.

Sunset sighed heavily, "Rarity, don't be too angry with them. Many most likely lost everything because of the attack and I can't really blame them for their actions. I mean, yes, Cinch and these... elementals played a role and destroyed Canterlot City, but what if I'm, at least in a large part, responsible for everything? I brought the Element of Magic into this world because of my ambitions. That was the reason the Dazzlings came to Canterlot High in the first place. Both events encouraged Twilight to create this magic absorbing device and it endangered her. I was so overjoyed by the discovery of magic and my only wish was it to understand it in this world. I never thought about you guys. Once again, I just followed my own desires..." Sunset finished her apology, upset with herself.

"Sugarcube, Ah think ya misunderstood somethin' there. Sure ya told us to stop fearin' this fancy magic in Camp Everfree, but we decided to use it on our own. Ya never forced us." Applejack started.

"AJ is totally right, I mean, my own wings? How awesome is that? We kicked the sirens' a-", Principal Celestia coughed, "-I mean, we licked those sirens together!" Rainbow Dash supported.

"You were very brave, Sunset. When Twilight was corrupted by Equestrian magic you helped and saved us all in the end." Fluttershy smiled at her.

"Yeah, those meanies from the bus are just grumpy. But you are still the best, Shimmy." Pinkie Pie voiced her opinion. Sunset was mildly annoyed by the nickname the girl used for her.

“They are right, Sunset darling.” Rarity added. “It may be a little upsetting that our homes are gone, but you aren't to blame. I'm sure of it.” she opined

"You saved me from my inner demon, 'Midnight Sparkle' and supported me the most after the Friendship Games. It was you who gave me the necessary courage to use magic again later in the Camp and together we saved the day. I believe in you," Twilight encouraged her friend.

Spike barked and licked Sunset's cheeks after he jumped into her arms, she laughed.

The former prized pupil of Princess Celestia looked around and saw that every single one of them was looking at her with a warm smile, tears made themselves known in the corners of her eyes,"I-I don't know what to say. Thank you, girls. I mean it. but I have to sleep on all that. I think I'll go back now." That being said, Sunset left the barn and returned to the house.

The others looked at each other, a little bit disappointed that their attempt to cheer her up didn't work completely.

"What now?” Indigo asked into the round, “I can understand why Sunset is upset, but I hope she understands we just wanted to help her."

"Give her time. She needs to sort out her feelings and thoughts and I think we all should do the same. Let us go back and sleep on everything that happened. We certainly had an eventful day," Celestia explained calmly.

Everyone agreed, tired from everything that happened in such a short time and started to walk back.

POV: Sunset Shimmer

I opened my eyes and found myself upon a gigantic, pure marble-white platform. It was formed in a octagonal shape, and in its center was a large, imprinted symbol; my Cutie Mark.

Everything around the stage was darkness, nothing more.

“OK, I know that this can only be a dream. Maybe, if I'm lucky enough, Vice-Principal Luna learned to visit the dreams like her Equestrian counterpart.”

"I don't think so."

I turned around to face whoever spoke to me. As I saw her red skin, her hair, her clothes, claws and demonic eyes I knew who she was in a heartbeat: My inner demon.

"What are you doing here?! I thought the Elements of Harmony destroyed you and purified me from your influence!" I was not sure how she was able to survive, but I wouldn't fall for her tricks ever again.

My darker half shook her head in disappointment, "You naive, little girl. You really don't understand, do you?" she said in my voice, but somewhat distorted. The demon looked at me with... pity?

"W-What do you mean with that? Explain yourself or leave me alone!" This had to be a trick. Why should she want to pity me?

She crossed her arms beneath her huge bust, "I was never your 'evil' side. I represented your desires, your ambitions, your dreams, your pride. You just lost yourself on your way. That was the reason why you failed as Celestia's student and you know that. Don't worry, I didn't come to play some cliched 'good-vs.-evil-fight-for-control' game. In fact, I came to help you, to make you understand that you need me."

Now she looked at me with pleading eyes. It made no sense!

"Stop! I don't know what you're trying to accomplish, but I won't go back to my old ways. The Elements-"

My demon cried out in annoyance, "GAAHH! You fool! You stupid fool! Think, Sunset! Really! Think! What do you know about the Elements of Harmony because of this 'Princess of Friendship'? Honesty, Generosity, Kindness, Loyalty, Laughter, Magic. The Ponies of Equestria once labeled them like that and thought since this day that their society, no, Equis can only exist in 'True Harmony' when you acknowledge these virtues as your virtues, if you follow the 'Path of Friendship'."

"W-What are you talking about?" What mind games did she plan?

My evil counterpart sighed in exhaustion, strange, "Since you left Equestria and saw the outside world, even when in this case a parallel world, you saw how it normally works. Equestria is not the rule, but the exception. Ponies fear the unknown and think of many reasons why someone or somepony is 'evil'. They fear Gryphons, minotaurs, dragons and others already, because they eat meat. Only one or two of maybe ten ponies don't run away in fear as a first response. They think in black and white, they refuse to understand that life is much more complicated."

I couldn't really deny it that especially the Canterlot nobility saw itself as superior to others, but that wasn't the rule, "Not everypony is like that! Yes, Ponies are much more peace-loving than humans, but Princess Celestia always says that everypony, no matter the race, is a breathing and living being that deserved to be respected."

The demoness rolled her eyes at my sentiment, "Not everypony, but most. The Ponies grew soft through living over one millenium in peace. You saw the truth. These 'elementals', whoever they are, don't talk with you and ask for nice relationships, at least the ones who attacked Canterlot City. You have to take up arms in order to defend! You don't have to become cruel or malicious or arrogant again. We learned from our mistakes in this regard. But you won't be able to defend your friends with nice speeches or are able to bring back the dead with friendship and you know that. You saw the cave, the city. The others told you what they witnessed!"

I growled angrily. How dared she?! "So what?! Should I just ignore everything the princess ever taught me? Both princesses? We both know how that ended for us!"

She shook her head again, "I don’t say Princess Twilight was completely wrong. She saved you from making a terrible mistake and you learned it and took the long road to friendship with the other girls. Still, the princess is almost completely wrong in her naive way of thinking. She wants to solve everything with 'friendship'. Seriously, when she and the others took each other at their hands and she shouted in the auditorium, 'Friendship is Magic!', I thought I would die laughing."

I remembered that situation easily. I thought the Dazzlings would be stopped by the princess and then... that happened. I could have sworn that I heard crickets in that moment.

The demon walked around me, like a predator stalking its prey, "The Elements are powerful artifacts, no doubt, but in some way I think they follow the wishes of their bearers. You read the history books. The Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, Discord, was imprisoned by the Celestial Sisters in stone for 1000 years. He had to suffer, to watch the world changing around him, every second, without being able to really sleep, as a statue. He was surely aware the whole time, Twilight once wrote you in the journal about their encounter with him and how he already knew everything. If he wouldn't be an immortal god I'm sure he would have gone truly insane. I know most would. I don't believe Celestia is such a saint how you want to believe."

I didn't let her blame Princess Celestia, "Don’t give me that! I'm sure the princesses didn't know that Discord would be awake the whole time. I mean, come on! If someone is nothing more than a piece of stone, how would you get the idea that the bad guy you imprisoned could be aware in such a state?"

The corrupted entity continued calmly, "Oh? How about the next case? Princess Celestia banished her own sister to the moon for 1000 years, she had to endure, too. Only her corruption as Nightmare Moon saved her sanity."

"That was never her plan! We are talking about her own sister! Princess C-"

She stopped walking around me and raised an eyebrow, "King Sombra of the Crystal Empire. By the way we only read about him, because we found it in the forbidden section. Face it, Celestia hid the truth we read about with our own eyes from the public, from her subjects. He could avoid imprisonment with his magic and took an entire empire with him as the prize. I think such an event is worth being mentioned in the history lessons, don't you think?"

I stomped with my foot, "He was evil! Nothing more than a cruel tyrant, who-"

The demoness yawned as if everything I tried to say was unimportant to her, "Lastly, Lord Tirek, Twilight talked about him. He was banished, too. Back to Tartarus. Do you see the pattern? Every threat was banished, jailed, turned to stone. Fates, in many opinions, surely, worse than death itself. The Ponies, especially the princess, are so obsessed by their form of 'harmony' that they give you two choices. 'Follow the way of friendship' or essentially 'Get sealed away'. There is no other way. You have to learn the errors of your way or face the 'unfortunate consequences'. But what if a threat comes that can only be defeated by something more than to simply shoot the 'Beam of Friendship'? I can tell you, they surrender. Maybe the princess even disposed of some dangers in a more permanent way, but that happened in the hidden shadows, where her subjects wouldn't witness it. She shows them in the public only her known face of pure benevolence."

I pushed my face against hers, not caring that she might smite me where I stood, "Are you done?!"

She grinned maliciously, "Not yet, patience Shimmy. You heard about the Canterlot Wedding, about the Changelings. That they infiltrated was already sad enough. I mean, hello? If the changelings couldn't just take the memories then they had to play the Pony they imitated blind and nopony found that out? And even after they were able to pass the barrier the Changelings just could conquer Canterlot without big problems, because the Ponies were shocked and didn't expect such violence to be a part of the agenda. The princess herself, from what I understood, lost the short confrontation with the Changeling queen, because she just wanted to stun her for interrogation and not to truly harm her. And what happened? This 'Queen Chrysalis' defeated and imprisoned her, the end. Just, because she really, really held back, instead of actually defeating her and to spare her subjects from more suffering. The Element Bearers, obviously, couldn't do anything against an entire army alone."

I snorted in distaste, as a Pony was such a gesture always much more effective to get your point across.

My demon chuckled mockingly, "Tirek could steal the entire magic from every single Pony with Discord's help, but all that could have been avoided, when Celestia just would have eliminated this guy. Sometimes you can't spare a life, even if it goes against everything you were taught. Her subjects paid the price. What about the young, the old, the very frail? The risk was much too high that they wouldn't have survived such a drain. I'm sure what nopony mentioned were the casualties. I think Princess Celestia, and maybe Princess Luna, kept it under wraps so that the Ponies wouldn't rebel against them when they would have found out the truth. And once again innocent citizens suffered for their rulers' naive way of thinking."

I didn't like to admit it, but she wasn't wrong. Magic was the very basis for life, especially for the weaker Ponies with illnesses or the old, such a complete draining process could have ended fatal for them. Much to my annoyance it made sense when she worded everything like that, but I couldn't just believe her that Princess Celestia acted irresponsible at times. Or could I? She was kind of right. Even when I didn't like it one bit, Princess Celestia's benevolence sometimes caused much more harm in the long run of history, than when she just eliminated the very dangerous threats in the first place. She just pushed her problems back for Future Celestia.

No, I refused, "B-But that isn't the Pony way! We always give second chances, nopony is beyond help! Ending a life is the easy way, but not the right way!"

The demoness sighed and shook her head in disappointment, "You still have so much to learn. Nevermind. My last point is: Tell me, after the Elements shot you, did you feel changed?" Did she want to tell me something with that question?

"Of course I was changed! I saw the err-" I couldn't end my sentence, she interrupted me rudely.

My darker half shook her finger in front of my face like I forgot something important, "I know what you want to say. Same person, remember? Yes, you wanted to change, you saw 'the error of your ways' but in more ways than one. You changed in a way, which was much too fast to be normal. You did things you never were interested in before, you jumped at every opportunity to help - and I mean literally every opportunity. It was like the old you didn't exist anymore. I can't say for sure, but that sounds very much like Ascendancy Magic to me. I had the feeling the Elements changed you too much, just so you would embrace 'Harmony'. They forced you to live like they wished you to. Their purpose, created by the Ponies and the beliefs of the bearers, is first and foremost to 'redeem'. Tell me, when was the last time you lived only for yourself? With your friends in mind, yes, but where you didn't behave like a slave any longer, who wanted to please their master."

That couldn't be right! "Wait, wait, wait, are you serious?! But I thought... no... no, no, no! That can't be!"

"Ah, I see you understand now." She looked at me smugly.

Indeed, since the Fall Formal I wanted to change my ways. I wanted to find another way. The girls wanted to help me. Sometimes, when they asked for help or wanted to ask me something personal, I wanted to tell them half lies, or nothing, because I didn't want anything to do with them after the Fall Formal. I just wanted to be left alone. But something… pulled at me and in the end I told them the truth and always said yes to every activity. I always ignored that feeling of wrongness in the back of my mind, but now, because of the demon, no, my other me's words, I understood.

Wait! Didn't that mean that the Elements of Harmony under Princess Twilight forced me to be friendly? Were my relationships with the oth-

The demoness cut me off immediately, "Stop right there. Your friendships are real, don't worry. But your behaviour sometimes wasn't. Don't misunderstand. The Elements are not 'evil', they are just magical artifacts. They just adapted the way their wielders think and feel... be honest... be kind... be loyal... be generous... make others smile... and magic connects them. The Ponies of Equestria just wanted to-" This time I interrupted her.

"They wanted to make others 'more harmonious', to make them see that there was a better way... the way of their form of life..." The implications disturbed me.

She nodded firmly, "Yes. I don't think they really know what they are doing with others and that the bearers, nor any other Pony, not even the princesses, are really 'evil' in the sense of the word. But they are so blinded by their way of life that they want to show all how 'right' this way is, that this is how someone or somepony 'should' be. A fantasy made true."

My eyes widened in wonder, "But I didn't feel this pull on my mind in a long time now. Wai a minute, was that your doing?!" Did she really... help me?

She grinned smugly in response, "Yes. I am you and I wanted to be a part of you again, but the Elements didn't want 'pride', 'arrogance', 'overconfident dreams' to interfere with their version of harmony, so I had to work in your mind and cleaned it from the Elements' influence."

I chuckled dryly, "I guess It was an annoying thing to do?"

My other half groaned at my question, "You have no idea." Suddenly she looked at me with expectation, "Could we be one again? I think one reason you haven't found your magic at last is because we were separated. Our soul, our mind couldn't search for our magic any longer, because we were divided."

I scratched my neck, that was a tough request, "I don't know. Won't that change who I am?"

Now she really smiled at me, sincerely, wow, "Not at all. You are and will always be your own person. I'm just a part of you and can finally return to your side. I wouldn't be any longer some separated spirit created by magic, but a normal part of your mind again, like it always should have been the case since the Fall Formal." Her smile was replaced by a frown, "But I'm serious. You have to learn that life is not always a wish concert where you get what you want. I fear you will soon find yourself in situations where you have to make decisions which will be against everything you were taught as a filly. But I'm sure Princess Celestia does somehow the same, just more, you know, regally."

I could see it in her eyes, she was truly honest with me. Well, time to do what had to be done then. Though a part of me had still its misgivings about her, my gut told me that she didn’t try to trick me, not anymore, "You are right. I don't say I will listen to everything you said, I need time to organize my thoughts before I decide what to do next. But the point is, I always wanted to abandon you, to forget you. I always ran away from my past, but... you are a part of me, somethi-no, somepony I should have embraced a long time ago."

She chuckled at my words, yeah, I even surprised myself a little bit. I guess times changed.

The demoness had a cocky expression on her face all of sudden, “Please. We both know that we are too prideful for such sentiments. Just think about my advice, that is all I ask. I believe Princess Celestia truly loves her little Ponies, but she didn’t keep an era of peace for over a thousand years by doing nothing else than smiling and being nice. She surely did many things she regrets in order to protect the country and its citizens, but most Equestrians are just too naive and don’t ask the right questions.”

I had the impression she could be right. Perhaps my former mentor told me the truth in her own way? The princess gave me a few pointers how to rule, another reason I was sure that I deserved to be an Alicorn.

Of course she never said it out loud, but there were enough hints. Did she fear that I wouldn’t understand her if she stepped down from her pedestal as the pristine Princess of the Sun?

I sighed and locked eyes with my other half, walking up to her and she stared at me with a soft smile. I hugged her firmly and whispered into her ear that everything would be better, that we wouldn't fall again. We learned from our mistakes, and this time for real.

"Thank you," she whispered back and her body started to dissolve into light brilliant opal blue flames, the color of my Unicorn magic. The Cutie Mark on the ground flashed and the flames streamed inside me. I felt like I found something long forgotten. Then I heard it.

"F...o...u...n... y...o..." what was that?

"I found you, mistress! Finally!" the unknown voice said relieved, this time clearer. It sounded powerful, young and female, but what did it mean by ‘mistress’?

"What do you mean? Who are you?" It made me nervous. Who was that? I'm very sure that this voice was no part of my conscious.

"I am your magic. The magic that belonged to you since you started to use the geode. Not only magic from your realm exists in you now, but from this world as well, me."

OK, I really didn't expect that to happen.

"So, you can talk to me?" I enquired unsurely.

A sad undertone was noticeable in the voice, "Only this one time. The magic inside a chosen mage or magician will tell its wielder the own name once and implements afterwards basic knowledge into the chosen master's mind so that the mage in question is able to wield his new power to some degree, learning from that point on in their own pace. After that we will never talk again, but we will always be a part of you, mistress."

Wow, that sounded... kind of depressing and sad. But when I could use magic again in this world, aside from just looking into somepony's mind like some creepy stalker, and became a real magician again, then sign me up!

Still, I wasn't completely satisfied with her explanation, "If you would normally only tell me your name and send me basic knowledge into my head, why did you explain everything to me now?"

I could have sworn the voice laughed, "Because you are Sunset Shimmer and you can't accept it when something happens you can’t explain, mistress."

I gave the voice's direction my best deadpan face, "I'm not that bad. But what has my personality to do with anything?"

Now it giggled in amusement, "Every magic represents the own wielder's soul, mistress. Every person is different, or Pony in your case. I help you now to understand, because you were cut off from your magic for years. Except maybe that one time when you turned all power hungry and tried to steal Princess Twi-"

I could literally feel how my cheeks burned, "OK, OK! You made your point."

She was suddenly much more serious, "And you are in a very special situation. The only living Unicorn with two forms of magic in one body. The other reason why I talk to you now is, because I couldn't reach you as long as your mind was divided in two. Every form of magic handles the situation fitting the personality of its wielder and I decided to talk with you about everything. There is no law against it, most just simply prefer the silent route."

Interesting, it must have talked about my former demon-half, "Does that mean that my friends will be able to wield their own magic as well?"

Her wasn't what I wanted to hear, "[i]I can't say for sure, forgive me mistress. Not everybody can simply wield magic and become a mage. It is a little like with a Pony's Cutie Mark. If your Cutie Mark symbolizes your talent for magic itself you may become one of the strongest Unicorns in Equestria, but most, as you know, are only able to levitate objects. Perhaps your friends will be able to use magic, perhaps not. Only time will tell. Is your thirst for knowledge satisfied?"

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and opened them again, "Yes. I'm ready," I announced with determination.

"So be it," the voice whispered softly.

The darkness that surrounded the plateau started to flicker and flames penetrated the void around me. They were colored in a radiant gold and vivid red. Soon I was completely surrounded by the fire and all darkness perished. I could feel how the power penetrated my very body and soul.

The last thing I heard before I woke up were two words, the name of my new magic. For one last time I heard the voice of my magic speaking up.

"...Phoenix-Magic."

Author's Note

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

And I want to thank everybody, who gives this story a try. I know it's something unexpected.

Opinions are desired. I don't know how you guys feel about this story or if I should improve somewhere, if nobody uses the comment-section.

*watches the tumbleweed rolling past the comment-section* :pinkiegasp:

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 4 - Severity of the Situation

Sunset awoke, sweating from the dream. Did that all really happen? Could she really use her own kind of magic now? She already knew the answer to the second question. As promised by the voice of her magic, she received a basic knowledge how to summon her new power. It was similar to the use of mana in Equestria as an Unicorn.

Phoenix Magic... what would be possible for her now? Could she fly like a phoenix? Maybe. She always wondered how it was to fly like a Pegasus.

Speaking of Pegasi, Sunset remembered fondly her time as a filly, she devoured the books about the magic of the three tribes. Four, with the thestrals.

Alicorns weren't very well known, except that they were a combination of the tribes, except the thestrals for some unknown reason, and that an Alicorn represented an aspect.

Earth Ponies, they could use their magic unconsciously to provide the plants with nutrients more quickly with their magic, they would guide the nutrients of the earth directly to the plants. Then they had a seventh sense, known as Seismic Shock, which told the Earth Ponies exactly where they would be able to raise crops or other things like rocks, but it wasn't well known, much to her displeasure. Lastly, they had the greatest flexibility with their manes and tails from all tribes, if they desired. Like Pegasi could use their wings as two more appendages, too.

Furthermore they were the physically strongest tribe and had the best endurance. Those were the reasons that they were the best farmers.

Pegasi, they could use their magic in a more active way. They could form clouds out of water or just using the humidity in the air, they could build with them; buildings made of clouds and the weather. Pegasi created snowflakes, rainbows, changed the wind direction and created lightning, but the last two topics were forgotten arts in history since a long time ago. Pegasi could fly, even when their wings were small, because their magic concentrated mostly in their wings. Princess Twilight told her about Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom. She wondered how this was possible. Maybe the Pegasus version of Rainbow Dash could in some way pull more magic from herself into her wings, but that was just her theory.

Unicorns, they had their entire mana pool inside of them at their disposal, with their horn as a focus. Horns were made of the mysterious material, called alicorn. On a side note, that always had annoyed Sunset. Whoever called the material the horn is made of after the racial name of the princess deserved to get kicked in the flank.

Unicorns could pull off great feats. Levitation was the standard spell a Unicorn learned in magic kindergarten. When your talent in magic was greater, you could command it in many different areas the arcane energy had to offer. The problem in her opinion was that many Unicorns were fine with levitation and rarely tried to go deeper into the arts of magic.

Thestrals or Thestrali, as they called themselves, she had to search a long time for satisfying information on. Most of them still lived in their kingdom, Thestrylvania. Some of them returned to Equestria after Princess Luna's return in order to serve her once again. They were especially active at night and had excellent senses, especially their eyes for the dark of the night and their sensitive ears. Thestrali were divided into clans and led by the High Council, consisting of so called ‘Pure Bloods’. This Pony tribe was very traditional in their beliefs with only a few exceptions, as far as she was aware of.

Not much was known about their magical abilities, but she found out that they had the ability to understand animals on a higher level and they had an ocular ability to paralyze their opponents. The Pony version of Fluttershy had that abilities, too, from what Twilight told her in her writings. Maybe she had Thestrali in her family tree? But she still looked like a Pegasus.

Half breeds were very frowned upon in their society.

Sunset Shimmer looked at the clock. 1 AM? The Apples started their day only in four hours... but she was too excited to sleep now. Gone was her tiredness from yesterday. She wanted to test her new abilities. But where? From what she knew, her magic was based on the element of fire, in the bigger part, and she couldn't just burn something down on Applejack's property for the sake of her curiosity.

Luckily, Sunset slept downstairs. She was alone in a guestroom, because her friends decided she should sleep undisturbed for some reason. Well, OK. She was kind of down, but her talk with her other self made her understand that she couldn't change the past and she had to try to move on. Besides, some students were still very angry at her and the others thought this place would be the safest, especially, because Spike and Shining Armor decided to guard her door and to camp in front of it. She was really touched by this gesture.

Well, time to go.

As a second safety measure, Vice-Principal Luna punished all students who tried to attack Sunset to sleep in a close barn with their camping equipment.

Sunset climbed out of the window, looked around and saw the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres, illuminated by the light of the moon. The one in Equestria was much better, in her opinion, same with the night sky.

Suddenly she heard a familiar tweet behind her and turned around to face the being they encountered in the Everfree Forest that led them to the chimera's cave; the phoenix. Sunset was confused. Why did it-no, she come back? Well, Fluttershy always said you could communicate with animals, if you showed them kindness. Sunset decided to try it. Nobody would see and hear her.

She felt stupid. IIt wasn’t like she suddenly could understand animals like Fluttershy.

"Hey, it's... very nice to see you again. I wanted to thank you for helping us yesterday, Mrs. Phoenix. My name is Sunset Shimmer," she told the flaming bird happily, "Great, I'm talking to an animal, good job Sunset," the Unicorn-turned-human muttered to herself, embarrassed.

"No need to thank me, I did that on my own accord and I wanted to see you, Sunset Shimmer. My name is Amara, Nice to meet you again," the phoenix replied in an ethereal, motherly voice.

Sunset just gaped with open mouth at Mrs. Pho-Amara and wondered if her dream gave her some sort of brain damage. Her mind needed a reboot.

"Y-you can talk?!" Sunset asked louder than intended. She scolded herself for her outburst, "But... how?"

"Why shouldn't I? Humans are not the only beings with a language, you know? They are simply not able to understand us. The only exception was your pink-haired friend, which I must say truly surprised me. But that is not important. I wanted to help a fellow phoenix, because I sensed your distress. I came as fast as I could," Amara said, as if that was enough to understand her reasons.

"What? That makes no sense! I'm no phoenix, I just-" at last the penny dropped. Of course! Her new Phoenix Magic must be the reason for her to be able to understand her suddenly. Sunset shared her thoughts with Amara.

The phoenix thought about it, "That certainly makes more sense. I felt that you weren't fully a phoenix, but I sensed the magic of a phoenix inside of you. I guess it gave you the ability to communicate with other phoenixes, but no other animals, I fear."

"That's OK. talking with animals is more Fluttershy's thing anyway," Sunset reassured her new friend, "So you came because you felt my despair in my dreams? Interesting."

"It is an ability we all share. We are able to sense the distress of another phoenix, when he or she is near to us. I'm not sure if you are able to do it, because you are not a real phoenix," Amara mused.

"I have a question. I wanted to try out my new magic and since you are a phoenix yourself... could you help me? Please?" Sunset really wanted to understand her magic badly. She didn't feel this excited about new knowledge since her time in Canterlot Castle.

Amara approved Sunset's request and she led the girl to an open field, south of Sweet Apple Acres. Sunset asked Amara why she didn't tell Fluttershy her name and just accepted being called her Mrs. Phoenix. Amara just answered that Fluttershy never asked, so she solely corrected the girl on her gender.

Sunset facepalmed.

The field itself looked calm and full of flowers of blue, red and orange colors. On its north side was a small lake, mirroring the moon and the stars; the ideal place to test a little fire.

"OK, Sunset. Show me what you know about our magic," the phoenix demanded kindly.

She concentrated and searched for her inner mana, like she always did as a Unicorn. She found her new magic quickly. It was incredible. Her unicorn magic always felt so, she couldn't explain it otherwise, calm. Waiting patiently, like a obedient familiar.

But her Phoenix Magic felt wild, untamed and powerful, like a storm. She had no horn in this moment, like in her transformed state in The Friendship Games. But even there she could use her magic with her hands, so she knew where she wanted to focus it.

Sunset's hands caught fire. It was in the same colors of gold and red like in her dream, but this fire had a sky blue outline at its ends. Her unicorn magic's color, she recognized, "It looks so beautiful," Sunset whispered in awe. Indeed, she felt a little honored that this magic was hers now. But she had to stop herself before she drooled and embarrassed herself in front of Amara.

"Very good, for a start. Now, lead your flames. Let them know your will and move them," Amara said in a teacher-like tone.

The amber young woman concentrated on the fires flew around and between her fingers. She let them move in circular movements above her head, mesmerized by her own magic. That was nice and all, but Sunset wanted to see what she would be capable of and concentrated her magic in greater amounts in her right hand. The flames assembled themselves in her palm in the form of a basketball. She sent it in the direction of the lake, where it landed in the water and exploded on contact.

"Woohoo! I did it! Did you see that, Amara? Wasn't that great?” Sunset asked the phoenix excitedly.

In response, the phoenix looked at her with what could be interpreted as a smug grin. She flew high over the lake and shot a beam of her own purple fire into the lake, causing a much bigger explosion than her pupil. After this little show, she returned to Sunset's side.

"I've seen better,” was all Amara had to say. She looked with false mockery into Sunset's eyes. She declared war.

"OK, Ms. Super Phoenix. We will see who can do better!" Sunset already knew she couldn't outmatch her friend, but she had too much fun to care.

This time, she formed fireballs in both of her hands and shot them into the lake, followed by a deep breath. A blazing magic circle appeared in the coloration of her flames in front of her mouth. She breathed her own stream of flames in a beautiful combination of her three colors, which met the surface of the water body explosively, setting a small section the lake ablaze in fiery splendor.

Sunset looked in Amara's direction and saw her surprised expression, "What?" She was sincerely confused.

"Didn't you see what you just did?" the phoenix asked patiently.

The new magician gasped in astonishment, "By Celestia's giant flank-"

"Who is Celestia and why would you look at her flank?" Amara was perplexed.

Sunset coughed, feeling awkward that she said something like that. She hoped her former mentor would never find out, or she would be banished to the moon, "Never mind, I was so excited, that I didn't even notice what I did! This... is... so... awesome!"

Back in the Apple household, Rainbow Dash woke up and drooled, because of her sleepiness. She blinked a few times, confused about why she awoke at that ungodly hour and went back to sleep.

The girl wondered why she felt the sudden urge to hit Sunset.

Sunset felt like Rainbow Dash at a Daring Do convention. That was great!. She could not only manipulate her flames like her Unicorn magic, but even concentrate them in her mouth and her hands. She tried the feet, it didn't work. Well, better than nothing.

Afterwards, she and Amara talked about things that a phoenix could do, but they had no time or possibilities to test them out. Sunset saw the coming dawn and decided to return before her friends would send a search party, "That was amazing, Amara. Thank you so much. I think I have a much better idea now of how to use my magic. But I have to return to the farm, or my friends will go crazy."

Sunset put a hand on Amara's shoulder, having forgotten about her ability to see into the minds of others when her geode was activated. What was the case, thanks to her magical display.

Her vision went white. She at least got the confirmation that she indeed could look into a non-human being's mind.

Sunset saw through her friend's eyes, how she transformed slowly into a phoenix, followed by the strong desire to explore the world. She saw the things Amara saw in little scenes. Burning villages, mutated animals and plants, dead humans, changing landscapes, floating pieces of land, newly created waterfalls, burning forests, oceans filled by multiple hurricanes and plains, tormented by furious thunder.

The most important information for her was shown in between. Memories, implanted in Amara's mind by her own magic. It was like the dragon said; some beings were naturally better connected to the mechanisms of the world and knew some things.

First there were the elementals. Not only fire, but other elementals, too. She saw beings of water, earth, thunder and air over the entire world as they awoke, too.

A second memory: Some other beings the memory didn't show the full appearance of. They wore some unholy looking black cloaks, standing in a group of six to ten within great, ice blue circles, filled with malicious intent. These beings looked like humans, but were bigger and much broader in their body mass. They used a kind of magic she didn't see before and they tried to summon something. Something big, something very dangerous, but she didn't see what; the memory faded too fast.

Humans didn't stay humans everywhere. In some countries they changed in species. She read of some of them from fantasy books. Iit was a secret passion of hers. She couldn't use magic any longer in this world or connections to more magical events for the longest time, so she compensated with a lot of non-scientific books. Something that was unthinkable in her days as a Unicorn.

. Some seemed to have changed into trolls, dwarves, giants, some kind of elves and others she didn't know about. However, others were known from Equis like Diamond Dogs or minotaurs. But she didn't see any humans transformed to Equestrian Ponies or Gryphons for example. Maybe the transformations only changed them into other bipedal beings. It would make sense.

Humans were the dominant species upon this world. The magic wanted to even the odds for others, to give birth to a new era. To accomplish that, it erased many creations of human society out of existence. For example, the greatest weapons of mankind, atomic bombs, H-bombs, biological weapons, chemical weapons, long-range missile, medium-range bombers, tanks, EMPs and the knowledge from libraries to recreate them, too. She saw the despair of humans who couldn't stop the unseen foe. Sunset didn't know what the magic left behind to use at their disposal, but as Sunny Flare and Dean Cadance already explained, normal weapons wouldn't work against elementals and their efficacy against other beings needed to be seen.

It made a kind of sense. Magic seemed to change everything on the world, so it erased accomplishments of the ‘old world’ it deemed unimportant. Did the magic of Equestria take a part in that, or was it just the magic of this world? Perhaps both? Maybe she could find an answer somewhere.

Without a warning her vision flashed white once again and their connection ended.

Sunset was irritated by the memories and surprises. Terra changed everywhere and the magic created new rules of survival.

Did those cloaked creatures use Dark magic? She was sure that they were nothing she read about before.

Well, that surely answered the group's question. Why they didn't heard in the news about greater military actions against mythological creatures or something like that. All countries had to understand what changes were upon them or to defend themselves from the local flora and fauna in some way. They had no time to help others in the moment. Who knew what the magic of Terra gave them as basics to start their ‘new’ cultures?

Magic could only be defeated by magic. And the humans, and now many other races, too, just learned to discover it very slowly. Even then, most of them would have no idea how to use it without any proper guidance.

For example, this country, the United States of Amarerica, USA for short. The actual leader of this country, President Fancy Pants, clearly had his hands full. His strongest political enemy, Blueblood, always tried to gain power for himself and made things more difficult.

Sunset remembered his pony counterpart, one of the few respectable nobles who didn't only care for himself.

She looked questioningly at Amara. The phoenix knew what she would ask, "I don't know what these memories mean, Sunset. In the moment I fully transformed into a phoenix I merely saw them, like you, before they were in my mind. I feel a great danger approaching. You should return now and report your findings to your allies. May we meet again, Sunset Shimmer." Amara flew high into the sky and disappeared into the horizon.

"I have to tell the others!" Sunset exclaimed to herself and ran back to Sweet Apple Acres.

As the house came into view, Sunset saw how Big Mac and Applebloom left the door. "Guys-" Sunset was out of breath from her run to the farm, "-are the others *gasp* awake already?"

"Eeyup," Big Mac simply stated.

"Where were ya? Applejack wanted to wake ya up, but ya weren't there. Now everyone is in the living-room and they're tryin' ta build search parties," Applebloom explained to Sunset.

“Well, called that one,” Sunset thought to herself.

"Th-Thanks for telling me, Apple Bloom. I should go in and make myself known. Bye!" she stammered nervously. Sunset didn't want to spread panic everywhere outside of their group and went in quickly. The siblings just looked at each other in confusion and shrugged.

"Land sakes, girl! Where were ya? We were worried sick about ya!" Applejack demanded to know.

Indeed, all were assembled in the living-room. Her friends, the Shadowbolts, the former principals, Cadance and Shining Armor. Spike slept peacefully in a basket he stole from a very annoyed Winona, the Apple's dog.

They wondered why the girl was out of breath. It looked like she ran a long distance without a break.

Before someone could ask further questions, Sunset answered emotionally, "I'msorry,ApplejackIcouldn'tsleepandIfound-"

Pinkie Pie, of all people, put a hand on her mouth and said with a smile, "Silly Shimmy! You shouldn't talk so fast. How should we understand you then?" Everyone deadpanned at the pink girl.

Commander Raga was a patient leader. At least he saw himself as exactly that. How else would it be possible to be the commander of the Infernal Guard without going crazy because the lesser fire elementals were so stupid?

"No, the orders were only to destroy this human town, search for any survivors who are hiding and kill them. And if you don't find any more of these humans, we have to return to the Burning Mountains. Now go!"

Sometimes this patience was tested. Lesser elementals couldn't talk, but they could still communicate by emotional states, which were readable when you learned how. In the moment the massacre was mostly over, the elementals reported back to him and wanted to know if they could leave the city and burn other places down. Seriously, what were they, pyromaniacs? The High Commander only wanted them to burn down Canterlot, nothing more. It was time to return home, soon.

Raga wondered if someday he could do the same to the mirror-version of this city; the capital of the Ponies from Equestria. On the other side, he heard, they would surrender even faster, if the Changeling invasion was anything to go by. It would bring him no pleasure at all. Truly, worthy opponents were hard to find in these days.

Another of many fire elementals, who was ordered to scout the outer districts and the land around the ruins of Canterlot City, came into his view and reported to him about its findings. He was ready to dismiss it, like every other report. Then it gave him much, much more interesting information. Raga ordered his scouts only to search and report before they attacked. He wanted to have everything planned.

"So you found a hideout of the humans in the rural areas. A farm, you say? What did you see, exactly? Report," he ordered his soldier.

Maybe he still could have some fun before he had to return after all. Oh, how he wished he could face a worthy opponent.

Sunset told the group about her experiences and what Amara's memories showed her. Nobody dared to interrupt her. After she was finished, the group thought about the new information they got.

"Wait, so you have now another sort of magic?" Sunny Flare asked her, very curious.

"Yes. Here, let me show you." To prove her point, Sunset summoned her flames onto her hands.

"It looks just marvelous! Be careful that you don't burn down the entire farm!" Sour Sweet demanded.

"I must say, Darling, your ability is simply beautiful. Worthy of a beautiful lady like yourself," Rarity complimented her friend. Sunset blushed.

"It looks very interesting, I concur. But we have more important matters to discuss, namely the implications of the memories you saw," Cadance said seriously. Celestia, Luna and Shining Armor nodded their heads in support.

The former police captain continued, "She is right. That this magic changes the entire world, creates new races and starts to erase human culture that it doesn't like is... very disturbing."

"Hmm... I would like to know more about these mysterious summoners Sunset Shimmer saw. They sound like a real danger," Luna shared her thoughts, made nervous by this potential threat.

"I agree, Sister, but what we do know is that the changes are happening on a fundamental level. Magic recreates the foundation of our world. We already knew about some things that are happening everywhere, but we never knew about the extent," Celestia spoke about the greatest concern of the group: the unknown dangers which would await them.

Sugarcoat had enough and counted the immediate problems, because nobody else wanted to do it, "OK, to sum it up: Our former principal is in an alliance with some fire elementals and we don't know anything about their true plans, only guesses. Solely Principal Cele-"

Celestia interrupted her, "You can call me Ms. Celestia, if you want, or only Celestia. And I'm sure Luna feels the name," Her sister nodded in response, "Our jobs as principals are over. We have much bigger responsibilities to shoulder now and we have to help. Besides, I fear Canterlot High burned down to the ground, too. I fear our insurance won't cover for 'damage from living flames' and that's if it is even still possible to simply call someone who knows what is happening in our country because of the magic."

"Yes, my title as dean outlived its purpose as well. My full name is Mi Amore Cadenza, but I prefer Cadance for short," she said smiling to the group.

Sugarcoat harrumphed and tried to continue, "As I said, solely Celestia, Luna and now Sunset Shimmer have their own effective form of magic of this outfit. They are our sword and shield against threats, but they can't protect everyone 24/7 here on the farm.”

A few motions of agreement made the round.

She already continued, “From what I understood yesterday evening from other conversations, Applejack has major strength. Rainbow Dash high speed. Rarity can create shields. Twilight can levitate things. Pinkie Pie can explode sprinkles, or anything with sugar in it and Fluttershy can talk with animals. Only a few abilities are truly useful in battle, especially against living flames.”

“Spill it! What are you trying to tell us?” Rainbow Dash asked with losing patience.

“You girls won't be able to use your friendship-laser, because it needs time and the enemies won't just watch and give you time. One lost second of concentration and it's over for you.” Sugarcoat gestured to her friends, “Lemon, Indigo, Sunny, Sour and I have no magic at all, at least not yet, so we can't really help that much.”

“Dude, don’t be such a buzzkill. We will totally rock it,” Lemon Zest assured positively.

The lady of bluntness rolled with her eyes, “Shining Armor and Cadance have no magic either, only handguns from the police station.”

Mentioned former dean chuckles nervously, “I never used a weapon in my life though.”

Sugar walked up and down, meanwhile crossing her arms behind her back, “And the other students in the barn? They are partly more or less against Sunset and magic in general, because they make both out to be responsible for their loss. They can't defend themselves either and will most likely be easy victims.”

“Well, the farm is a safe place for now,” Twilight reminded firmly.

The glasses wearing teenager shook her head, “No, the last and most important point is that we are hiding here from the fire elementals, but sooner or later they will find us and we will suffer losses, because they are many and could attack from everywhere. That being said, we have to move on. We can't live off the Apples forever. We have to help and we can't just hide like cowards. We need to search for another place to live and build some kind of base. Maybe we find another city or village. We have to see what we will encounter.”

“You say that as if it would be easy. I’m not sure if we simply find another place to stay,” Sunny Flare gave to consider.

Sugarcoat switched her attention to the young farmer, “It would be better for your family to come with us, Applejack. We all know that wild animals or elementals will come to this place and you must leave the farm behind. I know that Sweet Apple Acres is your home, but you have no real chance to survive otherwise," Sugarcoat ended her masterpiece of bluntness.

"Wow. I know you can be blunt, but that is new, even for you," Lemon Zest commented in surprise.

"Yes, you're right. She sure didn't... sugarcoat the issue," Pinkie agreed with a light giggle. She earned herself a glare from the girl in question for her pun.

"Now, ya wait a cotton pickin' minute! We Apples would never abandon our livelihood! And besides, Granny Sm-" Applejack couldn't finish her lecture, because someone put a hand on her shoulder. She turned around just to face the very woman she wanted to talk about, Granny Smith.

"My dear, there is somethin' we hafta discuss with the entire family," the elderly woman said to her granddaughter with an odd combination of emotions in her eyes Applejack never saw her like this before. Nostalgia, sadness and courage. The older woman spoke softly to their guests, "Please. Y’all should regain your strength with a mighty fine breakfast. Wait with further plannin' until we had our family meetin'." That being said, Granny Smith led Applejack out of the living-room and together they went upstairs.

The awkward silence was broken by Celestia, "I call dibs on the Apple Fritters."

Luna wanted to facepalm at her sister's antics, but decided against it.

Applejack was led into Big Mac's room. She had so many questions for her Granny, but she had the feeling she wouldn't like what the matriarch of the family had to say. In the room, already waiting, sat a confused Apple Bloom and a calm, but concerned Big Macintosh.

"Granny? Why did ya want to have a family meetin’?" Apple Bloom asked in sincere curiosity.

"Ah want to know that, too.. Ah know ya heard what Sugarcoat said and Ah know ya don't want to leave," Applejack said in an apologetic tone. She thought Granny would be furious about the mere thought of leaving the farm behind. The young woman never thought in her life that her Granny would tell them the following words, with a sigh.

"Ah made a decision. We have to leave Sweet Apple Acres."

Before any of her grandchildren could voice their shock about her plan, she silenced them with a pointed look, "Ah'm old. Ah saw many things in ma' life. But ya know what made me the happiest farmer in the world? Yer parents and y’all.” She looked at her youngest granddaughter, “Apple Bloom, y'were too youn’ to remember, but yer older siblings lived through the pain of loss." Granny briefly stopped, nostalgia returning to her eyes, "Yer parents died in a car accident. It made ma' heart break to lose ma' son and ma' daughter-in-law, but Ah couldn't despair. Ah needed to go on. And ya know why? Ah had three young 'uns to care for. Y’all were ma' one and all from that point and Ah wanted to give ya a good and honest life.”

Applejack covered her face with her hat, “Granny…”

The grandmother had a knowing glint in her eyes, “Yes, the farm is important, but Ah witnessed many talks of ya and our guests, Jackie, and Ah had to face the truth. Ah had to be honest with m'self. Yer ma and pa would have wanted to protect ya from everything, even when it meant to give up on somethin' else. A farm can be rebuilt. Crops can grow anew. Barns be raised and new land can be found. But family? Kin is irreplaceable and Ah would be damned before Ah would let ya come into harm's way, y'hear? Those varmints will come to the farm. Ah know that. And when they come, they'll burn down this place and everyone here with it."

Apple Bloom started to cry and her siblings comforted her. She still made little sobbing noises. They were distraught. They knew in the back in their minds that it would be necessary to leave the farm, but it was their home. The stubbornness of an Apple showed in their eyes, refusing to acknowledge the hard decision, which still had to be made.

Granny Smith continued now with teary eyes, but with her mind set on saving her family, "Ya are ma' kin. Ah won't letcha die, so Ah decided to leave the farm. We have to go."

Suddenly, they heard a burning voice...

The rest of the group ate breakfast and enjoyed the peace and quiet, waiting for the Apples' return.

"So..." Indigo started, curious, "What do you think they're talking about?"

"I think Granny Smith knew the whole time that they couldn't stay here. Now she wants to talk with Applejack about it, I think. The poor dear," Rarity answered Indigo's question with sympathy in her voice.

Celestia nodded, "Indeed, Granny Smith worked many years as a cook for CHS and this woman knows exactly what she wants and what needs to be done. Her grandchildren will refuse at first, but she will handle that. She once told me that the stubbornness of an Apple could only be outmatched by the stubbornness of another one." Celestia snickered, thinking of Granny Smith.

This woman was a walking enigma. Sometimes she behaved like a woman her age and needed to rest spirit and body and sometimes she shared wisdom that matched an elder. Sometimes she worked just as hard as any diligent person.

The group sat in their places and continued to rest, then an unfamiliar, but foreboding voice could be heard. But they all knew one thing: The fire elementals, who annihilated Canterlot City, had finally found them.

"Humans! Come out and face me! I know you are in there! I can feel your fear, I can feel your anger. You surely want to avenge your fallen city and fellow humans, don't you? I, Commander Raga, leader of the Infernal Guard, will give you a fair chance! I won't just burn down this house with you in it. No, I seek a worthy challenge. No human had remotely the abilities to give me even a warm-up. So I decided to give you the honor of relieving me of my boredom before I leave this place. Ashes or otherwise. Decide wisely. I will give you five minutes to come to a decision!" the voice shouted mercilessly.

The reactions were mixed. Some felt great fear now, others were just very nervous. But a few of them were determined, Rarity fainted right on the couch and Fluttershy was under the table, shaking like a leaf. They had to run and to hide since this all started, but now they could give their enemies a blow, if they could take out this ‘Commander’. It was time for a very much needed plan of attack. They would show the elementals that they weren't easily to defeat.

"Guys, we can't trust this fire elemental. It could be a trap!" Sunny Flare started the discussion.

At this very moment, the entire Apple-Family, even Granny Smith, ran into the living room at high speeds, "Ya hear that?! This varmint wants to kill us on our property!" Applejack was furious, her sister scared and her brother had a rare expression of righteous anger upon his face. Granny Smith looked in the direction of the door. She hoped she could prevent her grandchildren from getting killed because of their shared stubborn streak.

Twilight spoke up, "Calm down, Applejack! We all know that you would never leave your home and family hanging, but we are at kind of a disadvantage here. Yes, we all possess abilities of our own. I could maybe levitate some of these things, Rarity could shield us and Pinkie could maybe, but I doubt it, damage them with huge explosions... made from sprinkles. You and Rainbow Dash are strong and fast, but you can't attack them directly. Their fire would kill you. Fluttershy. well-", before Twilight could say more, the pink-haired girl interrupted her, a very rare event.

"It's ok, Twilight. I know I can't be a big help. I can talk to animals, yes, but that won't bring us much and I really don't want to send the poor little critters to their deaths just because I can't fight on my own. I couldn't look at myself in the mirror anymore if I did something cruel like that. I still want to support you on my own. That is... if you don't mind." Fluttershy's response was very mature and surprised some of her friends, who knew her for a long time.

Not because she didn't want to sacrifice animals, but for the first time they witnessed how their shy friend accepted one of her weaknesses without being ashamed of it or trying to constantly apologize for her shortcomings.

"Well, OK. Thank you Fluttershy. But I just wanted to say that we have to make a plan. We can't just storm out of the front door, just in case it is an ambush." The others listened to Twilight's suggestion and thought about it.

"Alright everybody, I have a plan, I will face this Raga on my own. And before you say anything, please let me explain. Time is of the essence," Sunset adviced and explained her idea to the others shortly, before the time limit ended.

With faith, she took her first step out of the door.

Raga was bored. Maybe he shouldn't have given them time and just demanded that they had to come out immediately. He stood in front of the house, alone. He always could summon his guards at will. Besides, they didn't really care about collateral damages; that was the reason he ordered his soldiers to stay back in what was once Canterlot.

Every elemental could concentrate and keep its power in check. For a fire elemental like himself it meant that he could keep his flames from burning and melting everything around him when he didn't want it. Otherwise everything would be destroyed wherever the elementals went.

Sadly, the lesser elementals had a lesser intellect and they just let the heat of their bodies devour everything. The former city was in large parts nothing more than molten ruins.

The moment he set a foot on the farm, some humans saw him and ran away in terror like headless chickens. What cowardice. Others ran into a nearby barn and thought they could hide themselves from him. He ignored them. They looked weak and would be no challenge for him.

The front door opened and a young woman with yellow and red hair stepped out in front of him, trying to look unimpressed by his stature, so he thought. This human radiated power and clearly had already unlocked her inner magic. Maybe it was worth paying this place a visit after all.

Sunset would never show it, but she was nervous and a little bit terrified. This elemental in front of her was a giant. He looked like a dangerous knight with a body made of indigo colored flames, navy blue eyes and, like Rainbow Dash would say, a ‘badass sword’. She hoped she would survive this encounter. But to Sunset's surprise, he really was alone. They weren't sure if they would have walked into a deathtrap, but to be fair, this wasn't a much better situation.

She calmed down and started to talk, "So. You are Commander Raga?" Sunset inquired with courage.

"Indeed, brave human. My scouts reported to me about this place and I sought a worthy challenge. Since I came to this plane, sadly I was disappointed. I hope you are better than the rest of your kind I encountered. I feel that your inner magic has been unlocked." His voice unnerved Sunset. He sounded so calculating and controlled in this moment, like he already knew her every move. Hopefully, the others could escape through the back entrance unnoticed. She needed to ask him for information; maybe she could find out more about him and their motives.

"I must say, I expected an ambush. How do I know that you didn't hide your soldiers somewhere?" Sunset regretted her question instantly, because the knight looked enraged.

"You DARE to question my honor, human?! I ordered my Guard to stay back in the city, which is only a collection of molten ruins by now, for your information, so I can face you alone. Besides, I already felt your allies a long time ago, because you and some of them radiate their magic freely and you have still no real control over it. Otherwise I would have had to search for you. Control is important; that is the reason I stand before you and our surroundings aren't ablaze already, because I can control my flames." The Commander sounded proud, "So you can signal your allies that it is futile to try to surprise me. I already found you all, even those weaklings in the barn there. But I have no interest in them. At least... not yet," Raga laughed darkly.

"I see..." That wasn't good. He already found them out. If, no, when they survived this encounter, they had to learn more about their magic to control it, so they couldn't be found so easily in the future.

Sunset signaled the others and they came out from behind a nearby wall of hay bales. Some looked still fearful and nervous, but most looked angry, even livid. The whole group stood now around Sunset, except Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Granny Smith, who tried to reach the barn undetected in order to help the other students.

"Sorry guys, but he knew from the beginning," Sunset started to apologize, but Luna calmed her down.

"Don't worry. We heard everything. We really need to learn to control our magic better in the future," she said, annoyed, that they were discovered from the start.

"Ah, the cavalry. Tell me, are you here to defy me as well? Some of you may have magic, but the outcome will be the same for all of you." Raga taunted the group, because he wanted to force them into making a mistake. A plan Shining Armor found out quickly; discipline was important in his job, after all.

"Don't listen to him. He just wants to make you angry and to force you into doing something stupid."

"Oh, someone has a brain. Congratulations," Raga said with a smug smile under his helmet.

"Stop this bullshit! Tell us, why did you attack our home?" Sour Sweet demanded answers this time.

He sighed in boredom, "I think I could humor you a little more before you die. Be thankful. Orders," he simply stated, much to their anger, "My superiors ordered the destruction of your city because it was necessary for further plans and no, I won't tell you anything of that." Not that Raga knew the true motives of his masters anyway. He didn't need to. He wanted to be a proud soldier of their army; Raga didn't need to involve himself in politics.

"I see. So you won't talk with us about anything involving your motives and plans of you or your leaders. But tell me, did Abacus Cinch order this attack?" Celestia enquired in a very diplomatic tone.

"Maybe, maybe not. Who knows? As I said, I won't tell you anything." In reality the commander had no idea who that ‘Abacus Cinch’ even was. It certainly was no name for an elemental.

The High Recruiter gave him the orders in person and that was enough for Raga. But if he was honest... Igniticious scared him. Every one of his instincts as a soldier told him to avoid his attention, especially in a negative way.

"The time to talk is over. You will pay for the lives you took, Commander Raga," Luna declared, focused and ready to avenge the fallen.

His blazing eyes tried to look into their very souls, "So be it! Prepare yourselves!"

Immediately, Sunset and her friends took on the forms granted by the geodes' magic. The Shadowbolts, Big Mac, Cadance and Shining Armor ran away to a safe distance and Luna and Celestia summoned their armor with their weapons in hands. Nearly one moment too late.

Raga charged them with a very high speed for a being his height and swung his big bastard sword in a horizontal motion at the girls and former principals. Celestia positioned herself between them and his sword, using her shield to stop the attack.

It wasn’t as effective as they thought and hoped. Yes, Celestia blocked his attack with success, but the mere power behind it pushed her a few feet back, nearly taking Fluttershy with her. When Pinkie Pie wouldn't have pulled the stunned girl aside in time.

Luna used Raga’s momentum and attacked him with her twin swords, but she didn't expect his flexibility and reaction time. He blocked both her swords with his broad weapon and that all with the left hand, literally. He concentrated his flames in the palm of his right hand and nearly burned Luna alive. Luckily for her, Rarity summoned a shield in front of her former vice-principal’s face and the fireball reflected into the direction of the sky. She jumped back to gain more distance between them, but the Commander had other plans. He charged Luna once again and struck at her. She barely dodged in time.

Twilight closed her eyes, concentrated herself and tried to disarm the elemental, a purple color appeared in an outline around the sword, but Raga just grunted, annoyed about this petty excuse of an attack and charged at the poor girl. Rainbow Dash, unable to attack Raga directly, used her speed to take Twilight in her arms and ran away from him. The sudden movement broke Twilight's concentration.

"Rainbow Dash! What are you doing?!" Twilight was annoyed. She was sure she could have disarmed him.

"Relax, Egghead. I just saved you with my awesomeness. You should open your eyes the next time. This guy nearly cut you asunder." Rainbow Dash smiled smugly at her friend.

"Oh..." was everything Twilight could say in response.

Celestia recovered fast from the recoil and summoned her Solar Magic in her hand she wore the shield before and tried to copy Sunset's descriptions earlier. The young woman told them about the fireballs she shot in her short training with Amara. But to no avail.

Then she saw how her sister nearly got killed, now she was furious.

Before her hand appeared a magical circle, not only a mere sphere, in the colors of the burning sun. With a war-cry, she shot a bright, strong beam of sunlight in Raga's direction.

The fire elemental just swung his sword at Twilight, but he missed the girl because of her friend. It angered him. Always when he thought he got one of them, another saved his target. Suddenly he heard someone scream and looked to his right... just to get a full blast of Celestia's attack to his chest. The resulting explosion catapulted him into the hay bales. OK, now he was furious.

The others, in the meantime, congratulated Celestia after Raga flew away.

"Great shot, sister!" Luna complimented proudly.

"Wonderful Darling!" Rarity voiced her opinion in joy.

"That'll teach this varmint a lesson!" Applejack commented with a laugh.

From the distance the others cheered them on, but Sunset wasn't this optimistic. No, the fight had just begun. They heard an angry scream and turned into the direction of the commander. A giant pillar of fire loomed over them, the hay bales and everything in a perimeter of 20 meters of it got burned to ashes. After the pillar disappeared, Raga stood in its former center, unharmed, much to the humans shock. And he was livid.

"Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!" Raga was livid, these pesky little humans made a fool out of him. He would destroy them. He would give them a sample of his power. He would show them why his flames were famous in his ranks.

"Enough of this farce! I will end you!" Raga put his sword back on his back and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He concentrated and a magical circle as big as him, drawn in indigo flames, appeared in front of the fire elemental, "Incineration!" he shouted. A stream, much broader than Celestia's, made of his flames flew in the direction of his enemies.

"Girls! Scatter!" Luna ordered in a panicked voice.

Everyone ran away. Rainbow Dash used her wings to fly into the sky. But one girl stumbled, because of her footwear: Rarity.

She instantly tried to stand up, but couldn't, "Ahhhhhhhhhhh! I sprained my ankle! Help!" Rarity looked on in the direction of her incoming demise with a horrified expression.

Everyone heard the call of the girl and were terrified for her. They screamed her name in unison, but wouldn't be able to save her in time, "Rarity!"

Before the oncoming conflagration reached her, someone shouted, "You won't kill one of my friends!"

They all looked deeply shocked, because one of their own jumped between their troubled friend and the attack. As they recognized who it was, and the attack hit its target full blast, they thought their hearts had just stopped beating.

One name was cried out in this moment, "Sunset!"

Sunset Shimmer saw how her friend fell. Even before Rarity tried to stand up, she already knew that the girl had at least sprained her ankle, maybe even broke it. She heard the cracking sound.

Then she remembered something Amara talked about earlier, as her phoenix friend told her about a few abilities of a phoenix.

"A phoenix will fade to ashes and from the ashes we will return anew, a never ending circle of rebirth. I don't think you can do that, because you are not a real phoenix in body.”

The new magician couldn’t deny that such an ability sounded amazing and imagined herself using such a neat trick. But she digressed

Amara flew closely to Sunset’s head, drawing her attention, “Next is the ability to absorb flames. Normally, even when your affinity as a mage lies in fire, much stronger beings still can hurt you with their flames, even kill you. But not a phoenix. Our bodies are made of fire, in a sense, so we can absorb them, no matter how strong. Though even when something could take our lives... we would just return.”

“So a phoenix is as good as fireproof? Do you believe I have this ability, too?” the Unicorn-turned-human enquired in great interest.

Her new friend rolled her eyes in amusement, “Your Phoenix Magic surely gave you some abilities unknown to you. But if I were you, I wouldn't try to see if I can survive the heat. You have still the body of a human, from what I can see."

Sunset's thoughts were interrupted by her friend's scream. She made a decision, hopefully not her last one.

She jumped in front of Rarity and closed her eyes before the raging flames of Raga consumed her. She could hear the horrified outcries of everyone.

Huh? Where was the agonizing pain? The torment of being burned alive? The earth-shattering explosion? Well, if Raga's attack would even do something like that, the last point was debatable. Sunset could feel the heat of the flames, but it wasn't hot enough to be considered painful to her. She opened her eyes again. What she saw wasn't really something she expected.

Her own flames surrounded her entire body like a cocoon. A blazing cocoon. The flames around her got smaller and smaller with every passing second until she stood there, unharmed. The others were very much shocked, but unbelievably happy. They cheered for Sunset.

Commander Raga took the events in front of him differently, "Impossible! How could you survive?! My flames burn down everything!"

The phrase, ‘being surprised’, would be an understatement. This girl survived. Not only that, but she was unharmed. But wait, what was this fire around her body? Could it be the reason the human was still alive? Raga needed answers on that, "What are these flames?"

Sunset thought about an answer. It would be to her advantage to keep her magic a secret from him. He had no idea, it seemed.

But on the other side... Raga never betrayed them, never broke his promise that he would face them alone. He showed honor and kept his word. Besides, he never made a secret of the ability of his flames to burn everything to ashes, as the commander mentioned in his shocked state. No, even though he was her opponent, he acted with honor and she had to at least show him a basic level of respect.

She erased the flames around her body and responded truthfully, "Perhaps you remember the flames of a phoenix? Their natural ability to absorb fire?" He nodded in response, every fire elemental knew what a phoenix was, "I seem to have the same ability. My magic is called 'Phoenix Magic'. Here, I'll show you."

Sunset shot fireballs the size of her head from both hands in his direction. She didn't expect her fire to hurt a fire elemental, but it was enough for a demonstration. Like she anticipated, Raga just held his hands out, grabbed both fireballs in them and crushed Sunset's ‘attack’ into nothing.

"I see. That is interesting. Very interesting indeed. I was aware that every one of you humans could gain an own form of magic, this is truly something else. But I saw that your flames had to protect your body, which means you are still a normal human, made of flesh and blood. Your flames can't protect you from every temperature. Still... I will finish this now, but be aware that you were the first and only opponent who wasn't an fire elemental and survived my attack. For this feat, I won't forget you."

Commander Raga was impressed by this young woman. She survived one his strongest attacks, magic or not. But orders were orders and he had to kill every mortal he would encounter in the duration of the invasion.

He used his flames to create a plateau made of them, under himself. It flew high in the sky, at least 30 meters high. Then he took his bastard sword and held it upright above his head. Raga concentrated and his entire body started to glow in a sinister shade of indigo. He saw the facial expressions of the humans.

First they looked curious about his plan, but after they realized and felt the amount of power he concentrated in himself, waiting to be unleashed, their faces turned from confusion to sheer terror. Yes, it was their end and they knew it. He would finish it, once and for all. Suddenly, Raga heard a voice in his mind. It made him most terrified.

"My servant, hear the words of Everflame." This voice was unbelievable powerful. It made him feel like a newborn fire elemental.

"I watched your quarrels, but enough is enough. Do not harm them any further. They have important roles to play in the upcoming events. I know which ability you tried to use. I felt it and it made me curious why one of my servants saw it fit to unleash such power. But these mortals are special. Let them be. Return to the Burning Mountains, order the Infernal Guard to return immediately. Report anything you think of importance to your superiors about your encounter with the group of humans. Afterwards, speak to Pontiff Infernus. He will convey your words to me. You have your orders, commander."

First Raga was confused, but than he recognized the name and he felt very, very unworthy. That a normal commander like him would receive the ultimate honor to hear from him... Raga tried very hard not to fall to one knee in a respectful gesture in front of the humans. They would never understand, because they couldn't hear this conversation.

In the Burning Mountains were a few holy places for fire elementals. One of these places was the training ground for the strongest of them and special cases, the Temple of Cinder.

He once had to report there to his superior and he overheard two priests of the Eternal Flame talking about something an elemental of his rank would never know about otherwise. The highest structures of command in their society and especially their army.

The leaders of every elemental, no matter, whether fire, water, air, thunder or earth. The five Great Generals, as they were called by them, their highest council.

Lady Ano'yil, of the Relentless Air.

Lady Aquaz, of the Unyielding Water.

Lord Imperion, of the Unforgiving Thunder.

Lord Granrok, of the Unbending Earth.

And finally, Lord Everflame, of the Everlasting Fire.

He just had one desire in this very moment, to follow his highest master's every orde, "At your command, Milord!" Raga answered in his mind, reverently.

He canceled his planned attack, much to the major confusion of the humans below him, ordered his plateau to bring him back to the ground and canceled the flames which created it, too.

Commander Raga still had his pride. He couldn't run away in record time just because he wanted to please his master, so he thought of an excuse, "Mortals, I have decided you are not worthy to witness my greatest ability. I'm bored of this game. You can't harm me. You are untrained and weak in your performance. I have more important matters to attend to than wasting my time with pathetic creatures like you."

He looked in their direction and saw the three mages of the humans fuming at him. Good, it worked. Raga guessed they thought that he was arrogant and saw them as beneath him, but he couldn't care less at the moment.

A portal back to the Burning Mountains opened. Over a mental connection he had with his Infernal Guards, he ordered them to return in an instant and they did without a question, like they always did. Now he had to write the most important report of his entire career.

Before he stepped through the portal, he turned around one last time, in order to look directly into the eyes of the one human who survived his attack. She looked back at him, "Tell me, young magician. What is your name?"

"Sunset Shimmer," she replied without moving an inch.

"I will remember you. Maybe one day we will meet again. Until then, get stronger." Those were Commander Raga's last words, before he faced the gateway again and returned home.

In the Burning Mountains, Abacus Cinch, the Blazing Inquisitress, stood in front of a truly breathtaking building. It made her feel small and insignificant. She looked to her side and faced High Recruiter Igniticious, "What is this place, Milord?"

The high recruiter chuckled at his Scion’s awestruck expression, "Welcome to your new training location and home, my Scion. Welcome... to the Temple of Cinder."

Author's Note

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

They were found out! Run for the hills! But then again... the Apples have a nice farm. :ajsmug:

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 5 - Back to the Roots

Humans. They were the once dominant species of Terra, but now the populations of many countries changed into something new, something magical. For some humans, these alterations were the beginning of the end, 'Judgement Day', as many fanatics called the start of the new era.

Still, magic changed this view, too. Members of the newly arisen races were infused by knowledge about their new origin, the foundation of a new culture. The original fear from the former humans was erased by the magic of their planet. They started to embrace magic in all its forms.

The remains of mankind had to choose; to adapt in this new world, or to live further in illusions and ignorance. Luckily, many chose the second option. In some cases their own form of magic awoke, with a basic understanding of how to use it. But they had no tutors and were forced to experiment a lot on their own.

Needless to say, more than a few humans died horribly in magical accidents and innocent bystanders had to pay the price many times too often as well. Other humans couldn't use their own magic, but they were interested in this new energy and its possibilities. They all tried to manage their new fate in their own way. They wanted to live in peace with the other races and tried to build relationships with them. Furthermore, these humans wanted to discover the new wonders of a new world. The only problem in the countries where still humans were was that they had to search for a new government after everyone adapted.

It would need time.

But as always, a good share of people couldn't, no, they didn't want to see reason. For them, this was unfair. Why did that have to happen to them? What cruel god decided to punish them? To take their livelihoods, their hard work, away from them? Why should they simply accept these changes when they could fight them instead? They were their own masters, tamers of a whole planet and wouldn't surrender to the new world. They would gain victory once more in the end and win, like humans always did.

Then there were humans, who refused to live in this ‘twisted’ world. They picked one of the following five paths.

First. They couldn't live with these forced and sudden changes and took their own lives. A great wave of suicides were committed. Some of them did it not because they couldn't handle their new reality, but because they were completely sure this all was just a dream, a hallucination, a trip caused by poisoned alcohol, drugs or lastly, a coma. So they thought they could wake up with killing their dream-selves, the results were all the same.

A deadly mistake.

Secondly. They thought that everything was caused by some biological weapon of the military or aliens. In both cases they started to kill everyone who didn't look like a human. A lot of insane and extreme humans lived out their darkest emotions and ways of thinking. Xenophobes, humans, who thought that mankind would in the end endure and always be superior to others and everything as the master race, terrorists, who wanted to erase the plague, these heretics, in the name of god. Then there were militarists, who wanted to take back their home from the invaders.

This ‘last resistance of man’ didn't last for long, in most cases, because the magic took away most of the weapons the humans once owned. Animals, plants, elementals, the land itself, creatures of death and decay or the occasional pissed off member of the other races who were attacked fought, hunted and killed them in their own ways. One of the newly founded troll tribes developed the disturbing habit of collecting scalps from their victims and made it a tradition to wear them around their necks. Many of these ‘trophies’ were from the humans who went berserk.

There were even people, who killed other humans, just because they could use magic. They had to be killed off in their eyes, to clear their world from these ‘monsters’, these ‘freaks of nature’.

Third. They completely shut down, closed off their minds from reality and decided to live in their own world. An illusion made of the former. When something happened outside of this bubble, then they thought of a ‘logical and scientific explanation’. A fully grown dragon could land right in front of them in all its glory and they would in response admire the ‘special effects’. Until the very end they would refuse to see the truth, no matter how painful their demise.

Man was a creature of habit, after all.

Fourth. Many assembled themselves in groups of ‘fellow humans’, took everything what was still of use and emigrated to find a new place where only humans would live in peace and quiet. They were not aggressive by any means, but their mind was set to remain pure of other races. Not out of hatred for them, but in remembrance for their former world, as a monument to human history, of sorts.

Fifth. Because most governments over the world broke apart and social rules could no longer be kept and punishment be distributed for criminals, many saw their new situation as a Carte Blanche. They could kill, torture, hurt, rob, rape and organize themselves in groups of raiders and had no fear of laws to order them around, at least in their opinion.

Many country names were altered by their new inhabitants. For example the former country of Zebrica was now called Jin'Thala, because most of the former humans were now Trolls there. The new name was an idea from their new mother tongue, they learned because of the magic, Tro'ju.

Greece, now inhabited by minotaurs, was now called Magoth. A similarity to Equus was their own language. It was the same like the language from the minotaurs of Taurien, Minon.

The land, formerly known as Neighico, to the south of the USA, was now the land of the dwarves. It was now called Oriom, as their language was named Irom.

It happened all over the world, but some recreations were closer than others to Sunset and her team, still unknown to the group.

Later in history, the first days of the new era in the world were known under many names, but most translations resulted in the titling, The Dawn of Magic.

In a cold country, north of Amarerica, were the merciless lands called the Frozen North. Only the most adventurous humans lived there. A little over 80,000. Many less than in their southern neighbor's country. Now their inhabitants were solely transformed into orcs. The Frost Orcs, to be exact. Their new culture was shaped by the ways of honor and war, like true warriors. The orcs called their lands these days the Glacial Tundra, because they thought it fit perfectly.

A normal orc was taller as a human, around 6'2” feet to 7'5, they all had the same steel blue skin color in different shades, from pale to dark in their range. The male orcs were much more muscular than humans in general, male and female both, but not by much. It would still be foolish to underestimate the orc women. They had less strength than the men, but weren't worse off in any sense. They were born for the tundra; they learned to hunt the new animals and avoided the most dangerous of beings and places. They nearly didn't feel the biting cold at all. Furthermore, their teeth were sharper and a little longer, but they still looked more human than the teeth of a wild predator. The orcs also largely kept their previous intelligence, though didn't necessarily have reason to flex it overmuch.

They had problems with use of electricity, because fossil fuels disappeared after the changes in their land and generators died for a, to them, unknown reason, so they used their newly found abilities. And candles. A lot of candles.

Their mages were called shamans, who could call upon the power of the five elements, but they could only summon lesser elementals. The orcs didn't know it yet, but more intelligent elementals could only be summoned with a lot of effort and they only used enough magic for the lesser versions, as that was all they needed. They could only summon lesser elementals who weren't bound to a master. It was a blessing for them. Otherwise the lords of the elementals would find them. Besides that, they had warriors, hunters and warlocks as forms of military, all with their own kinds of abilities. Other orcs were ‘civilians’, with normal jobs, but all were anything but defenseless.

The capital of their land was now called Gorion and after a month of fighting and searching for a worthy ruler they found one. Or more precisely, her.

As a human she was formerly known as Chrysalis, leader of the Changeling Syndicate, an organization which was known for its cunning and their ability to train spies, who could infiltrate enemy territory perfectly. The syndicate was infamous and had an old history in the world, but that was unimportant nowadays after everything changed. The syndicate was disbanded to give the former employees time to understand their situation and to choose a new path in life. Chrysalis was bestowed with the powerful abilities of a warlock and in the end she could kill every opponent in highly viewed battles for the position of the leader, king or queen of their kind.

It was glorious.

She survived and was now called Queen Chrysalis, Queen of the Frost Orcs. She was very tall, even for an orc, at 7'6”. Her skin was a very dark shade of steel blue and she wore sturdy pitch black robes and elegant shoes. Over the robes she wore dark purple armor over her shoulders, arms, and chest. It was made of a new mineral the orcs found in their land in mines. She had emerald green colored eyes and was a little more muscular than other orc women, a testimony to her fitness. Chrysalis's hair stayed the same dark shade of green as in her former life as a human. It reached down to her lower back in a very smooth form.

She founded the Honor Guard, her personal elite soldiers, who were trained as an elite force and followed her every order. Her subjects wanted to conquer new lands. Not much, but enough to expand their territory beyond the Glacial Tundra and to have a better defensible front with a high wall. After the changes of the country, parts of the frozen land defrosted. These were places where the orcs could build upon the hard earth. They created there farms, fortresses and bunkers, made of steel, stone and other materials.

But until now they could only be built around their capital. Some places were still too dangerous for building something bigger, because of the local wildlife. They managed to construct a lot in the last two months. It helped, of course, that they had more endurance and strength than humans, even with still-existing machines. The warlocks and shamans could summon demons and lesser elementals to help with the construction work, but they were summoned as familiars and couldn't hurt anyone, even if they wanted to.

Soon enough, Queen Chrysalis, -also known as Queen Icefang in the language of the rocs, would build an army, but only after all preparations were finished would they take more land for themselves, more earth to farm food and they would gain honor, respect and victory in battle.

Diplomatic relations with the USA were always difficult in the past, because their politicians didn't see any bigger advantages and looked at funding for projects as a waste of money in the so-called ‘Frozen Wastelands". Since the start of the new era, worldwide relations were disrupted. Not only between their countries, but all over the world, from what her last information claimed, before everything stopped working. For her and her fellow orcs, it was time to visit their friendly neighbours and to show them the might of the Frost Orc Clan.

Indeed. One day.

The Pie Family was always able to pull through. Igneous Rock Pie, the patriarch of his family, was sure of that. He and his wife, Cloudy Quartz sold diamonds, rare stones and other kinds of minerals and sculptures made of stone in their own shop, their emporium. His children helped sometimes, in their own ways.

Maud Pie, his eldest daughter, studied geology and visited them for the summer break and searched for good rock samples in her free time. She was always calm and coolheaded.

Limestone Pie, his second eldest, went to college and helped most in the family business, her only problem was her tendency to get angry. Very easily.

Marble Pie, his youngest daughter, went to middle school, was very shy and soft-spoken and she loved to support them, but had trouble making eye contact with customers. Sometimes at all.

Lastly, there was his second youngest daughter, Pinkamena Diane Pie. He was proud of her, like he was proud of all his children, but she didn't like to work in the family business and wanted to concentrate her energy into parties and backing. It was her decision in the end and he would support her, like a good father should.

He was kind, but strict. His daughters had to be prepared for all situations in life and he would protect them with all his being. Sometimes Pinkamena worried him. She acted very fragile, sometimes, when she couldn't make a person smile. It hurt him to see her like that. He always hoped her employment in Sugarcube Corner would teach her important lessons for life. He really hoped his little Pinkie Pie, as she wanted to be called, was still alive...

The day started like always, opening the emporium, preparing for customers. Marble, Maud and Limestone would help their parents and the work could start. In the early lunchtime they heard them from the distance, screams. Agonized screams of torment. They ran outside and saw them, these... things. Living flames invaded Canterlot, burned down everything in their path and killed the citizens in gruesome ways.

He wondered in this moment if Pinkamena was right all along when she always told them about the ‘magical adventures’ she had with her friends from Canterlot High School. Igneous Rock thought that those events were fantasy and nothing more than wild imaginings of her innocent mind. The business was his life's work, but his family came always first, so he decided.

Marble was paralyzed by fear and Limestone tried to appear brave. He ordered his family to go back into the house and to take everything important with them. His wife was scared and confused, but followed his orders. His eldest, Maud, surprised him. She didn't look frightened, but determined. She helped her siblings to grab only the most important things. Water, conserved food, very little clothes, money or papers and they took off. He managed to take the big tent on his back and they all ran to the family car. It was big enough to hold everything. He immediately drove his family to safety, or so was his plan. Pinkamena was safe, at the moment, in Camp Everfree. He hoped so, anyway.

They looked like some kind of knights, in his opinion, with their armor. Some of them saw their car and attacked them with fireballs. He could dodge every shot for the longest time until beyond the borders of the city, except the last one.

Their back tire on the right was hit and he started to lose control over the car because of the little explosion. He nearly couldn't stop in time, because Igneous Rock didn't look at the street for a few instants. The road was blocked by a fallen tree and behind them the fiery beings closed the distance between their groups. They had to escape on foot.

The Pies used the time and took as much of their remaining belongings on their back and in their hands as they could and started to run. The problem was that some of the beings were much faster than others and one managed to catch up. It just missed them, but the attack surprised Marble too much and his youngest fell from shock.

Igneous Rock Pie was ready in this moment to save his daughter's life, even if it would kill him in process. But Maud was faster. She ran at high speed to her sibling and positioned herself between the creature and Marble. He saw it in his eldest's eyes, an unholy fury he never witnessed before. She was ready to bring suffering to every being, who would harm her family, he felt it. Then it happened.

Maud's entire body, but mostly her hands, began to glow in a brighter shade of grey than her skin and she started to concentrate. He wasn't sure what she planned. His daughter looked like she just had an insight of some kind, as if she knew... more? The earth under the fire spirit began to crumble away and it fell into a deep hole. after that, Maud let a giant boulder fly above the being as it tried to climb out. It was too late. Maud released the boulder upon it, directly into the hole and smothered it. You could hear how the armor was destroyed by the stone's weight. The entity was no more.

The patriarch of the Pie-Family was never more proud of his daughter.

After everything calmed down, Maud explained her family that something awoke inside of her. she called it, Stone Magic. Before another of these living flames could come for them, they took off with their belongings and ran into the direction of Ponyville and the Everfree Forest. They needed to find their last family member. The only bad thing was that none of them seemed to have a phone connection to call their Pinkamena.

"Velvet, I fear we are lost," Twilight Velvet's husband, Night Light, said, exhausted.

"Don't be stupid. We will find our children and if that's the last thing we do. I know they are both OK. A mother feels things like that, trust me. Twily should return soon from Camp Everfree, that's why we are going into this direction. Her school bus has to take this route if they want to return to Canterlot. Shiny is a smart boy and a young police officer, I'm sure he will find us or we will find him, but you know how our Little Star is when something happens and she can't find an explanation," Velvet lectured her husband.

"Don't remind me. She can be very special sometimes.” He laughed in amusement, “But I want to find our children as much as you do and I'm sure Shining is searching for Cadance. He always wanted to be her knight in shining armor, no pun intended. It is sad that those creatures destroyed our car first. I didn't even make the first payment. It was new!" Night Light fumed.

His wife looked greatly worried, "I just hope Twilight won't get a heart attack when she knows about that. I mean, living beings made of flame? That sounds like something from a fantasy book. I should know. I write in this kind of genre. That is nothing you could explain with physics, more the opposite."

Night Light chuckled at the memories of their daughter as a child. Kindergarten was surely an interesting time, "I'm proud that she finally made friends, Velvet. I was always concerned that her thirst for knowledge would prevent her from making real friends. After the Friendship Games, Twilight was like a new girl. but I can't shake the feeling that she hides something from us. Something important. She was very vague about the games at CHS."

He looked down on his phone, "I can't understand why our cellphones wouldn't work. Then we could at least call them." Both parents were confused at why they never had any connection.

"Well, at least we could save our cards, money and important papers before everything went to Tartarus. Where could we build a new home? I heard Fillydelphia or Baltimare were nice places to live," Velvet mused.

Many things went through their heads, but first they had to find their children.

Moondancer was in Ponyville, she needed to process the information she found. She felt unwelcome in their group and excused herself, but in reality she followed them curiously and listened to their conversation in the barn. She heard every single word. She heard Sunset's explanation in the living-room, too, but that wasn't planned by her at all. Really!

As she saw their, in her opinion, very one-sided fight with this Commander Raga, Moondancer decided to come to Ponyville and to look for more information on the internet. Her problem was only that she couldn't get any connection on her phone. Still, Magic? Really? Moondancer didn't want to believe that, but she had no choice. The fire elementals proved it existed more than enough and she knew when she had to accept something.

The others returned to the house, but Moondancer sat herself in her car and drove to Ponyville immediately for research. She wouldn't be useless. She would help. She went into the internet café, but there was a big sign in front of the laptops:

Please excuse us for the circumstances, but the internet didn't work recently. Please come back at a later time. Our technicians are working on the problem. The Management.

Seriously? Moondancer feared a pattern. It couldn't be a coincidence that the internet didn't work anymore for several different receivers all at once.

"Moondancer? Is that you?" She turned around and saw the face of a girl she didn't like that much, because this girl bullied Twilight earlier in her time in Crystal Prep.

"Fleur De Lis, you are alive?" the cream colored teenager was sincerely surprised.

"I love you, too,” Fleur deadpanned. “And to answer your question, yes I am alive. It is summer break after all and my parents and I own a summer house here in Ponyville to relax from the big city. Tell me, is it true? Canterlot, I mean? We heard it from people who came here with cars in tears and terror. That, well... things of living fire were the attackers. That was a joke, right?" She was very concerned about the truth of what they said about Canterlot City.

Moondancer felt a little ashamed for how she acted and pulled herself together, "I'm so so sorry Fleur. Everything is true. I saw them, the fire elementals I mean, that's what they are called. They attacked the city without mercy, killed anyone and destroyed anything in their way. I-it was horrible." Her eyes were wet from tears.

"A-and our classmates? Did you see anyone from our class who... didn't make it?" Fleur, too, had tears in her eyes now. They even started to flow down her cheeks.

Moondancer began her tale in a shaky voice, thanks to the things she had to see. She didn't want to talk about it, but Fleur deserved to know the truth, "I'm sorry, I couldn't see much. Crystal Prep was one of the first places they attacked, for whatever reason. There was an evacuation for the summer classes and activities because of an earthquake earlier that day. All students assembled themselves in the open and we waited for the police and the fire department. Our teachers ordered us to wait for further instructions. Suddenly they came... from everywhere. The fire elementals shot flames into the rows of the students in different forms or charged directly. There were so many screams, people ran over each other in blind panic and terror. I just wanted to run away, so I fled to my car and drove away. I think I saw two from our classes... Upper Crust and Trenderhoof. They burned alive and died in agony. I always thought of them as snobs, who only cared for themselves, but they never deserved such a cruel death.” She sobbed heavily.

“In the end I just tried to save myself, but many streets were blocked or destroyed by the elementals. On the way I picked up the five girls who represented Crystal Prep together with Twilight in the Friendship Games. You know, Indigo Zap, Lemon Zest, Sunny Flare, Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet. We drove to Sweet Apple Acres, a big farm between Canterlot and Ponyville. Our group is resting there, at the moment, catching our proverbial breaths. The Apple-Family is there, too," Moondancer finished her tale and felt just exhausted and sad.

She thought briefly about mentioning the others from CHS, but decided against it. Some of her fellow students who could escape and witnessed the Friendship Games, blamed the Rainbooms after what happened. Thinking that these fire elementals were somehow enticed by the girls or otherwise somehow connected to each other.

Of course it was a foolish sentiment, but in the end they needed a scapegoat to blame for what they had to endure. No, she wouldn’t risk that Twilight’s friends ended up as targets.

"If I hadn't seen Sparkle's transformation into that thing with my own two eyes at the Friendship Games, then I would call you insane, but many people said the same about what happened in Canterlot, so it has to be true. That is... much to take in, you know? To think, that magic and mythological creatures are real and now these elementals, too. The world really is down for the count." Moondancer never heard Fleur, one of the most beautiful and most popular girls of their school, speaking in such a depressed voice. Wait...

"What do you mean by mythological creatures? I know that there are such beings now out there, but how do you know?"

Fleur was confused by the question, "Didn't you read about the Massacre of the Everfree in the newspaper and internet? Well, when the internet still worked that is, but my point is that more and more people went missing and the police from Ponyville never found a clue.”

“A-are you serious?!” Moondancer whispered in shock.

Fleur nodded shortly, “Then, a week ago, they finally found traces and followed them into the Everfree Forest. The police went in there with 30 people and only seven came back alive. These seven were survivors, some of them severely injured and all were terrified. They told everyone here how they searched and followed the tracks deep into the forest, finding a giant cave where some of the victims were found and they swore there were manticores, at least three. The first group, which found the cave, entered without backup, because they thought it would be safe.” She paled.

Moondancer gulped nervously, “W-what happened next?”

Fleur shook her head to get a grip before she lost it herself, she saw one of the victims. The sight brought her nightmares, “The rest of them found their first team... brutally slaughtered by those animals In their shock and surprise about what they saw, the officers didn't react fast enough and were attacked by them, too. Before they tried to shoot them, at least four more died, but the manticores had some kind of hard skin, because the bullets of their pistols didn't hurt them at all, only angered them. One of them was a cub and the parents were very angry. They had to retreat, but the parents hunted them down one by one, after some time they managed to lose them, but not without suffering more casualties. The police decided to leave the forest and reform anew, but they were ambushed by 10-15 timberwolves. Like real wolves, but made of wood and even more dangerous. In the end, only seven managed to escape the forest." She ended her tale in a for her unusual calm and somber tone.

Ok, that was a lot to take in. Moondancer didn't read any news in the newspaper and she didn't like internet sources. She preferred the printed information, especially books. These were very hard news, indeed.

But why was the internet not working? Wait, she remembered the story from, how was her name? Ah, yes, Sunset Shimmer, that the magic of this world changed literally everything and erased the ‘relicts of the old world’ when it deemed something as not needed anymore.

The young scientist really hoped that she was wrong with her theory. There was just one way to test it, "Fleur, do you have by any chance a modern version of a sat phone, with internet?"

This kind of sat phone got its signal from the satellites in the orbit, so it SHOULD give her internet and the possibility to call someone. Both things were impossible for her since this morning with the normal phone. But a sat phone tapped, with help of the satellites, into every mobile station. That would convey to public telephone networks and servers, which provided internet to the entire world. If that wouldn't work...

The young beauty raised an eyebrow in confusion, but decided to play along with her classmate, "Uhm, OK? My parents gave me one, but I shouldn't use it without a very good reason. Why?" Fleur was slightly worried.

Why would Moondancer ne-then she understood. Of course! Why didn't she think of that?! Her sat phone would do the job!

She took it out of a special pocket in her jacket and gave it to Moondancer, "Be careful, it was very expensive," she warned.

Moondancer activated the sat phone and clicked a few things. Fleur helped her with the password. She tried for 15 minutes and her fears were only confirmed further.

Fleur was confused. Moondancer looked much paler than possible, her dark white skin color brightened to snow white.

As she wanted to ask what was wrong, Moondancer cut her off, "Thank you very much, Fleur. You helped me a lot. Now excuse me, I have to return to the others! Bye!"

The intelligent, but untrained, girl ran back to her car in what Fleur guessed was pure panic. She even let her phone fall onto the ground. She picked it up. Seriously, she told Moondancer to be careful, especially because her sat phone was her only possibility to go into the internet now and to talk with her friends in MyStable.

She seriously needed to calm her nerves. Maybe there was something that would let her relax.

The last thing Fleur De Lis saw before she fainted was the screen of her sat phone. The display showed the status for the satellite, internet connection and signal strength for calling someone. It showed in big letters, in form of three messages:

"No internet server found!"

"No mobile station online!"

"No satellite activated!"

The Great and Powerful Trixie was bored. Very bored and annoyed, "OK, Trixie has enough from this farce! Vice-Principal Luna punished Trixie for the anger of others. She has decided to tell her Trixie’s great and powerful opinion about that!"

The enraged teenager left the barn and walked to the house. Lyra Heartstrings, Bon Bon, Octavia Melody, Vinyl Scratch, Derpy, Bulk Biceps, Flash Sentry, Snips and Snails followed her. And made a note to watch out for Trixie's temper.

This encounter was certainly disappointing for Sunset Shimmer. She knew she couldn't hurt Commander Raga, because her fire abilities wouldn't make any damage to him, but that their group was this unprepared? Celestia hit him at full force, because of her anger, but he just shrugged it off and got annoyed, not hurt at all. Not even a scratch was found on his armor.

For her, that meant that they still had a long way to go. They had to learn control of their magic and to get stronger, for when they seriously wanted to defend themselves against stronger foes. But Sunset guessed that the outcome was still the most possible one, because the commander had much more experience than them.

At least nobody died.

After he used his magic to fly above them, she felt the energy he started to concentrate in himself. At that moment she was sure that he would kill them all. Instead, without any reason, he just stopped. Did he really want to scare them, or did he just not want to waste his power on them, like he claimed? Sunset found that unbelievable. Why should he show them mercy all of the sudden? When his order was to destroy and burn down the city, then it meant that he had to kill every human he would encounter too, right? Something rubbed Sunset the wrong way about his behaviour before he disappeared through the portal.

Cadance, Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor, the Rainbooms, the Shadowbolts, Granny Smith, Big Mac and this time, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, all sat around in the living room to discuss further plans for the future. Most importantly, they wanted to discuss the encounter with Commander Raga.

The three children were now allowed to be in this meeting, because Granny Smith demanded it so, saying that they may be children, but they had to know the truth about the world and its dangers and it shouldn't be hidden from them. Much to the older siblings' and Rainbow Dash's protests, who already had to talk with the girls about the terrible things they saw in Canterlot City. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom slept together with their older sisters since they returned from the town, because of the nightmares.

A long sigh escaped Indigo’s lips, “That was much too close, I really thought he would kill us all.”

"Yeah, I second that. I mean, come on! Ms. Celestia totally shot this guy with her awesome attack and he just didn't care at all," Rainbow Dash supported, annoyed.

"I think we were lucky nobody died in this encounter. He clearly toyed with us and never used his full strength." Cadance looked at Rarity during the first part of her sentence, who sat comfortable on a sofa with her foot on a pillow in bandages.

Luckily for the fashionista, her foot was just sprained and not broken, from what Granny Smith could see, "I absolutely agree, Darling. I certainly thought that that brute would be my demise. Sunset, I could never thank you enough that you saved my life in the way you did. I will repay you in some way, I promise." Rarity smiled gratefully at Sunset. Her sister, Sweetie Belle, hugged the young mage with a tearful smile to show her agreement.

"Oh! Oh! That was amaaaazing! Rarity was like, ‘Ahhhhhh, my ankle!’ and Sunset was like, ‘No! You won't kill any of my friends!’ and Rarity was like-" before Pinkie Pie could continue, Applejack put a hand on her mouth.

"Sugarcube, calm down. We were all there." Applejack looked now at her amber friend, "Ah have to say, that was the plumb craziest thing ya ever did, cowgirl. What in tarnation made ya do that? Ah'm thankful that ya saved Rares 'n all, like we all are. But how could ya know ya would survive?" The young farmer was honestly confused and the others had that question, too.

The transformed Unicorn blushed a little from the attention she got like she was insane after Sunset risked her life in such a way, "Well, I talked with Amara about the magic of a phoenix and she mentioned something about their ability to absorb flames with their body, so I wanted to test it out. Of course, I could have died, but I didn't really think about it in the heat of the moment, no pun intended. I just had the... feeling that it would work, you know?” She faced the part time diva, “I couldn't let you die, Rarity, I would have jumped in for any of you," Sunset ended her explanation with a warm smile.

"Awwwww!" the teenage girls and Cadance said, touched. Fluttershy, who stood beside the her, gave Sunset a hug, too.

"Still, Ms Shimmer, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't do anything like that again without having proof for a theory or feeling before you do something stupid. In the end it was the right thing to do, but for the future, please keep in mind to be more careful," Luna lectured Sunset in a half-serious tone.

The addressed magician nodded her head to her former vice-principal.

Shining Armor saw Celestia's thoughtful expression and asked politely, “Ms. Celestia, is something on your mind?”

"Hmm? Oh, I just thought about the end of our ‘fight’. Raga dominated us the entire time and didn't use much of his power, let alone fought us very seriously at all, I fear. As his last attack happened, I felt it. He would have destroyed us with that, but he didn't. The question I have now is, why?" the former principal clarified thoughtfully.

"I agree with you, sister. For whatever reason, he stopped his strongest attack because... what? A sudden change of heart? I don't believe that." Sunset, Cadance and Sunny Flare silently supported the statement with various gestures, sharing the siblings’ opinions.

"Maybe he remembered that he forgot something in his stove?" Pinkie exclaimed happily, the others groaned.

"Maybe this dude was really bored, like he claimed, and didn't want to kill us anymore?" Lemon Zest said hopefully.

"I don't think so. Something stopped him, but we have no idea what it was, exactly. We can only guess. Nothing more. And we won't know any better in the end. We shouldn't be too ungrateful. We are all alive and that is the most important thing," Sugarcoat mentioned in a well-known monotone voice.

Sunset decided to voice her opinion, "Yes, his behaviour was a little strange, but maybe we are just paranoid.” She sighed. “It's just so frustrating-" she had everyone's attention, "-that we couldn't harm Raga even a little bit. He literally just played with us. I thought after we got these new powers from Equestrian magic and the geodes, we would be able to handle everything better from this point on. Then the invasion of Canterlot happened and the Everfree Forest, Ms. Celestia, Ms. Luna and I got our own magic from Earth and I thought after all that it could only go uphill. Again, the meeting with the fire elemental taught us better. That we had nothing on a stronger and more experienced enemy. We have to learn how to use and control our abilities better. Maybe-"

Sunset couldn't continue, because she was suddenly interrupted by someone, who was more level headed until now; Sunny Flare, "Oh, boo hoo. Guess what? You are not the only one with a problem here! You, your friends and your school could adapt to the concept that magic actually was more than a fairy tale for children!”

Lemon tried to calm her down, “Sunny, relax.”

The enraged teenager snorted in contempt, ignoring her classmate, “II won't say the end of our city hit us harder than you, but you have at least a chance to do something, because except for you guys and the former principals, we are all magicless here. How should we handle something like a magical monster? With a nice talk? You can't hold our hands forever or stay in sight the whole time and I refuse to play the helpless 'damsel in distress' in this new world!" Sunny ended her emotional rant.

Tears flew down her cheeks and everyone was shocked by her sudden outburst. Cadance walked up to her and embraced the girl, whispering inaudible words of kindness into her ear.

"Don't think too negatively about her outburst, please! We talked about the whole 'magic business' and Sunny doesn't show it, but she is very distraught that she isn't able to fight on her own and instead is forced to watch from a safe distance," Indigo Zap tried to defend her friend, loyally.

Sunset recovered from the surprise and smiled sadly, "Don't worry, I know where she is coming from and I-" Trixie stormed into the house, followed by the others.

"What is the meaning of this?" Luna demanded to know.

"Trixie is sorry, Vice-Principal Luna, but The Great and Powerful Trixie wishes to talk with you! Oh, and the others behind me, too," Trixie explained in a friendly voice, because the others had forced her to act politely.

"What Trixie wanted to say is that we never had the intention to hurt Sunset Shimmer or blamed her for anything, but we didn't voice any objections to the violence, because we couldn't handle the truth at the moment," Octavia tried to convince Luna with diplomacy.

"She is right, and we are sorry, Sunset. We were just shocked from the recent events and it was kind of too much at once. Even though when magic was a common thing at Canterlot High already," Lyra apologized.

"We had to accept that our friends and family were possibly dead, injured or missing, Still, I didn't voice any objections, either. I'm sorry, Sunset." Flash Sentry said with a guilty frown.

"Guys, it's OK. We are fine. I never blamed you for what happened. Some of the other students reacted like this, not you." Sunset looked at the lunar knight,, "Ms. Luna, could you pardon them, please?"

"Hmm. When Ms. Shimmer accepts your apologies and you behave, then you can go and return as much as you like. But only as long as we are here and Mrs. Smith is fine with that." Luna reasoned.

"No problem dearie. We haven't enough places for every young 'un here, but they can come and ask questions or for food," Granny Smith agreed pleasantly..

"Now," Celestia started, looking at the students in concern, "What happened during the fight with the other students? I heard some of them went missing."

"Hmph. Most of these cowards hid themselves in their tents, like it would save them. But three took off in blind panic. I have no idea where exactly, I just know that they ran like headless chickens to the west of Sweet Apple Acres," Bon Bon answered her question is disdain.

"That is bad. I'm still angry that they tried to attack and blame Sunset, but there are many unknown dangers now. I fear they won't survive outside for very long," Twilight commented worriedly.

"I think we should search for them. Nobody deserves to die just because a person said something awful out of anger and nothing bad happened in the end." Fluttershy quietly pointed out..

She gave a slight glare in Bon Bon's direction. The kind girl didn't like metaphors where animals were mutilated.

"Well, we have to stay here for at least three days anyway before we can go further, because Rarity has to favor her ankle and should rest," Sunny Flare said, who was calmed down from Cadance's words of support. Regret could be heard in her voice, "I wanted to apologize, Sunset. My outburst was uncalled for. My frustration from the last events just got to me and the encounter with Raga just made it worse. I just felt so useless."

The magician stood up from her chair and put a comforting hand on the teenager’s shoulder, "There is nothing to forgive. I fear I would react in the same way if I would be in your situation."

It got boring fast, in Sunset's opinion. So many wanted to apologize to her for different reasons. They couldn't talk about the important things when the time was wasted with apologies for everything. Still, she was thankful and glad. Thankful that they had her back and glad, because nobody here blamed her for anything.

The door opened again and this time Moondancer stepped in. She looked very nervous and they wondered why.

The red and violet-haired girl thought on her way back about how she could tell them about her findings without the need to tell them that she spied on their conversations. She came sadly to the result, in her opinion, that she needed to tell the truth. Otherwise they would lose their trust in her.

"Hey… uhm, there are things I have to tell you. First, I... spied on you, twice, but the second time was a complete accident. I swear!" Moondancer was nervous about their reactions and as she feared, they started to laugh. Wait what?!

"Sugarcube, we're no dark cult. Ya can always listen, come to talk, or voice yer opinions." Applejack replied while chuckling.

"Jackie is right, silly. We can have more fun when you are here and don't hide, only when you play 'hide-and-seek',” Pinkie said joyfully. Then she added, “Oh! Oh! Pick me! Pick me! I want to be it! You can hide and I will seek, or I will hide and you seek me out! Or maybe we could hide together and we seek the perfect hideout, or we-" Rainbow Dash put a hand on the party lover’s mouth.

"Pinkie Pie, we get it!" the athlete exclaimed.

Moondancer blushed for causing a scene, "T-thank you for the offer, but there is something very important I have to tell you. As you all know, the magic in this world changed, or still changes, everything into something new that it likes and erases everything the magic dislikes from the 'old world'."

The ex-student explained her findings in Ponyville and the story of the 'Everfree Massacre', much to their shock and the children's disgust. She earned herself an evil eye and promises of a later talk in private through eye contact from Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, for that.

Afterwards, she told them about her meeting with Fleur De Lis and her theory about the cellphones and the internet, followed by the proof through the sat phone. The reactions ranged from terror to utter confusion, or from disbelief to anger. Except one person. Moondancer didn't tell them about the things she saw in Canterlot. She didn't like to talk about her fears and nightmares with so many strangers.

Most of them already wondered why their devices and the internet didn't work anymore in the last hours. But to have the proof that the magic of this world completely erased satellites from the orbit, internet servers and mobile stations? It kicked the humans back to the old times, when you still had to communicate from person to person. When you had to write actual letters in your own handwriting or read newspapers and real books and couldn't just contact everyone, everywhere, every time.

Preposterous! Social media, e-mail, SMS, MMS, gone!

Rarity knew exactly how to express nearly everyone's feelings, "Of all the things that could possibly have happened this is the WORST. POSSIBLE. THING!" she fainted on the couch. Snips, Snails, Trixie and Lyra did the same on the ground.

What nobody thought about, one of the biggest reasons for the young girl's reaction was much more severe, at least for her: no more online shopping.

"Seriously?! I heard enough from magic-induced alterations and I would try to handle them, but this is just ridiculous!" Sugarcoat expressed her displeasure. This time with the most emotion many of them ever saw from her.

"Oh my..." was the only statement Fluttershy could give.

"It will make things much more difficult, as I feared. Without means of better communications, we will have problems in coordinating ourselves and we have no possibilities to reach each other in time. If the magic of our world already decided to render simple cell phones completely useless, then I fear how other communication devices like walkie-talkies or televisions may have been affected," Cadance said, massaging her temples in annoyance with her hands.

"Walkie-talkies are already useless. I had two of them in my camp equipment, just in case. And they were brand new and worked perfectly. Lyra and I tried them out this morning and they didn't work at all. Not even one little sound. Like they were worse than dead," Bon Bon explained in a deadpan voice. This news shattered one option for a better way of communication.

"Come on! Yes, every country has its own problems and all, but TV still works, right?" Rainbow Dash sounded very desperate. "They still can give us news over it, don't you think?"

"Does this answer your question?" Scootaloo asked in awe and fear.

Everyone in the room looked in the direction Scootaloo pointed and what they saw murdered the last remains of hope. For the first time, they witnessed how the magic of this world decided to erase things it didn't like in the new world. In this case, the TV. A pure white aura manifested around the machine and in a white bright light it literally began to dissolve into nothingness before their eyes, like sugar in water. After this amazing and terrifying event the humans looked devastated, but not the former Unicorn.

"Meh, could be worse," Sunset simply stated with a smile, much to the shock of the others.

"Could you please explain what do you mean? Are you crazy?! We are kicked back in a backwater age and you think that's funny?!" Sour Sweet screamed. All who were present looked at Sunset like she was on something.

The former Unicorn groaned, “Alright, I guess I have to come clear with the rest of you guys in some points. First, I originated from a parallel world of magic. I was once a Unicorn. Yes, Flash, that is a thing. Sorry. Yes Rarity, we can talk about the 'parallel world' thing when we rescued the other students. At home, we didn't have such devices like here at all. We communicated with letters, magical flames for instant teleportation of documents, with each other in person, scouts and a post system. That is all. No fancy technologies in the area of communication. But hey, we have older cameras and trains, so that is a plus”

“Lucky you,” Sugarcoat muttered to herself in thick sarcasm.

“Don't misunderstand me, I certainly liked the inventions you humans had here. But I can easily live without them. I mean, come on guys. Do you really want to tell me that you will break down just because you lost some of your inventions? That the world ends, because you can't use cell phones anymore? You can always communicate in person with each other, that won't change. We can choose scouts or communicate with hand-written letters, maybe we can find a possibility to use magic to communicate, like in Equestria with magical flames,”

“Magic flames for communication between two separated parties? That sounds amazing!” Twilight added giddily.

Sunset nodded briefly, “It really is. Now, if you would excuse me, I'll come back in a few minutes when you've calmed down." After her little lecture, she left them to find the bathroom.

The humans looked at each other, perplexed at their friend's bluntness and shook their heads in resignation. Sunset was right, maybe, but she would never fully understand their plight.

Three students tried to escape from Commander Raga as he attacked Sweet Apple Acres. One of these students was the normally very relaxed; Sandalwood. He didn't know the two others, but he freaked out as he saw that strange, scary looking creature. It was too hardcore, in his opinion, he was sure of it. Sandalwood hoped that the others could escape, too. Fighting that being would be madness.

They ran for a long time and arrived at the forest known as White Tail Woods. But they were safe here.

All of a sudden, they heard branches crack and bushes started to move. Then they came from the top of the trees. Two giant, yellow, orange striped spiders. They were at least 1.8 meters tall, 6 meters in diameter, with glowing brown eyes, big chelicerae to inject poison and the body structure of a bird-eating spider, broad and hairy.

They all screamed and took off. Sandalwood was the fastest. He heard the tormented screams of the others. He was too curious and turned around. The young student with the green dreadlocks wished he didn't. The spiders weren't slow. They caught up to them in a heartbeat and pumped their victims full of venom. Sandalwood ran away in fear. The last things he heard before he was out of their reach were the death screams of the others, as the venom liquefied their organs and the spiders could drink their easy meal.

He ran at full speed, filled with fear and adrenaline, but Sandalwood didn't see the end of his way behind the bushes and fell down a steep hill into a valley.

His entire body hurt from the impact and he fell wrong on his left leg; it was broken. He groaned and opened his tear-filled eyes, still under the effect of the recent events and opened them. But what he saw before him was worse than any nightmare. Spiders like the two who killed the other two students, but in a much bigger number He guessed he found their nest -or more like their colony!

Sandalwood looked around himself. The valley was full of webs and their producers. The center was formed like a giant downward spiral, full of sharp rocks, strange green ores, tons of spider webs and it got darker when he looked down into the depths.

Of course, the arachnids had already noticed the intruder, or more like the prey. He knew he would die now. He just hoped nobody would come into this forsaken forest to share his fate. Sandalwood thought one of them would attack, but a loud screech let them freeze in place, he wondered why.

The doomed man didn't have to wait for long, because she came; the matriarch and leader of the spiders.

Her body had a height of 10 meters and a diameter of 32 meters, including her long, thick legs. The coloration wasn't yellow-orange, but a brilliant white, mostly, with black stripes on the eight legs and light blue eyes. Worse, in his opinion, she could speak in a distorted, croaking voice in perfect English.

He wondered in the back of his mind why these spiders lived together in such an organization. Normally a spider hunted alone on its own.

"What do my eyes perceive here? A little human? A little meal, not more, than an appetizer." the matriarch announced, slightly amused.

"Ho-How i-is that po-possible? Yo-You shouldn't exist like that! Spi-spiders can't grow this la-large!" He was terrified and tears streamed down his face in despair.

The arachnid chuckled mockingly, "Ah yes, I nearly forgot. You humans didn't believe in higher powers and always tried to find an explanation for everything that would fit in your dense worldview. How utterly narrow-minded most of you are, but don't worry I will release you from your existence."

When Sandalwood didn't close his eyes immediately after he was finished talking and hoped for a quick death in his mind, he would have heard the malicious undertone in her voice. The matriarch of the spiders, she called herself Arachne, was a sadist and loved it when her prey screamed in agony before she killed them. So she punctured his skin with her venomous fangs very carefully, but pushed him with enough force into the ground to immobilize him. Now her fun began. She injected him with her deadly poison, but very controlled and very slowly to prolong the liquefaction process of his inner body as much as possible.

The poor soul suffered the most agonizing torment, before the sweet embrace of death consumed him.

After the meeting, everyone went off to go after their own business and to process the news from Moondancer, if still reluctantly.

Sunset's friends, except Rarity, the Shadowbolts, Shining Armor and the principals, wanted to go with her after she volunteered herself first for the search-and-rescue mission, but the young woman told them that predators would find them more easily in big groups. She just mentioned to them the Everfree Massacre. Nobody could say more in protest to her point. They agreed after some discussion that everyone should have a fair chance to contribute.

So they decided to send only two more people with Sunset, but everyone wanted to accompany her. Pinkie Pie got an idea and vanished into the kitchen, much to their confusion, and came back in a few seconds with a glass and 13 little pieces of paper. She told them, that she marked two pieces with a cross and whoever picked one would go with Sunset.

Everyone agreed to her idea.

In the end they had the following group: Sunset Shimmer, who had the most control and knowledge about magic in their team, Shining Armor, who decided to tag along for safety measures and he wouldn't let someone go out alone and lastly Sunny Flare, who wished to do something on her own and to help, instead of staying behind. They formed the team who would search for the three missing students.

"Sunset Shimmer, are you sure you three want to do this?" Luna asked carefully. She and Celestia decided to train their magic control and abilities in the meantime, if possible, in the safety of the orchards before they would move on.

"Yes. We will be fine. We will go, save the three students and return. Just wait for us." Sunset tried to sound convinced, but she had a foreboding feeling. It didn't matter; they had to find them.

Before she could shoulder her luggage, her friends gave her a group hug she gladly returned.

"Please be careful," Fluttershy whispered, worried.

"Don't worry." Sunset looked to Shining Armor and Sunny Flare, who said goodbye to Cadence, Indigo Zap, Lemon Zest, Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes Sunset, where do you want to look for them first?" Sunny Flare inquired curiously.

Sunset closed her eyes in thought and opened them again before she answered the question, "White Tail Woods."

Author's Note

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Now with 20% more character introduction. :ajsmug: And spiders.

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 6 - Acceptance

Illuminated by the rays of the sun stood their destination: the forest named White Tail Woods. The trees at the edge wore in their crowns verdant, yellow, red and to their astonishment, blue leaves. All showed up in a colorful display by the approaching twilight. The green, shining grass blades in full growth were moving in silent wind and a few critters followed their own business. Truly it was a scenic picture that presented itself to them.

Shining Armor, Sunny Flare and Sunset Shimmer sat around in a small circle, protected by their tents the Apple Family provided them with, near the forest. Their location was shielded against hungry predators by nature itself and the help of Sunset's flames. She saw it as a little bit wasteful of her abilities, because it was disrespectful to her magic, at least in her opinion.

He found a flat and barren area, where boulders of varied sizes and dark colors were positioned in close proximity to each other; a natural shelter. He got the idea to use Sunset's phoenix fire as another safety measure when he saw how controlled she could manipulate her magic.

On the line between the grass and the barren land, without burning everything around them, Sunset should be able to create a circle of her flames around their position about chest height, Shining figured. She did that in an accurate manner.

Sunset may have had this new magic just for a very short time, but she was once a powerful and gifted Unicorn and control of magic was always important for her. Especially after the fire elemental told her that he found them, because they didn't control their magic flow at this time and it served as a beacon of sorts. Sunset used her free time before all were prepared to leave and practiced her control at the lake where she trained shortly with Amara.

They ate and drank a bit of their supplies before their conversation started.

"I must say, Sunset, your abilities are really useful. Protection, no problems in making a fire, you must be the hit at every bonfire party." Shining joked. The girl in question groaned and gave him a deadpan stare as her response.

"It's strange. The earth around us looks gray, like some kind of ash and the trees there have blue leaves. I'm sure we would have heard if something like that existed here. Guess things really changed. But it has its charm," Sunny Flare voiced her opinion.

"You are right. Though I would like it more if we could search for the missing students. But it's already late. We'll literally invite trouble if we can't see anything in the night. It's a pity that we couldn't be faster, but good preparations and our conversations earlier with the others took most of the time of the day," Shining Armor stated, annoyed by the lack of process.

Sunset firmly agreed, "No, not in the dark. I feel that the forest conceals its true colors and it would be foolish to wander in it during the night. Since we came here, my entire body feels tense and my gut feeling is telling me to run."

"OK, that was so not creepy at all. But now we have time and I have questions for you, Sunset. You said that you came from a parallel world. What did you mean by that?" the Shadowbolt enquired curiously. Shining Armor looked interested, too.

The magician looked troubled for a few moments, until she decided to answer truthfully, "Well, just that. I came from a land known as Equestria. We live there already for over 5000 years and-"

"Wait, pause. 5000? How is that even possible?" Shining interrupted in disbelief. He never heard about a land, populated by humans, that had such a peaceful history before.

Sunset took a teacher-like tone,"We Ponies, that means Unicorns, Ponies with horns, Pegasi, Ponies with wings and Earth Ponies, without either, lived in Equestria since millennia in relative peace and harmony. Things like murder are very, very, very rare and we solve our problems more with words than brutal force. Violent behaviour is even very frowned upon in my homeland and seen as barbaric. Our ruler and yes, I know that will sound crazy, Princess Celestia is the ruler of our country. She and recently her little sister, Princess Luna, are the immortal co-rulers of our nation. Celestia ruled it alone for 1000 years, before her sister returned from her banishment to the moon.” Her comrades looked with hanging jaws at her, she ignored it, “So, do you have any other questions?"

“You are a… horse?” he commented intelligently. Shining had already a hard enough time to process what else the young man was told about this mysterious girl.

The Unicorn-turned-human looked annoyed, not so sure anymore if it was the right call to drop hints on her true origin when the topic of the Friendship Games came up again. They talked about it on Cadance’s request, because she never got her head around what she saw during the final.

Her excuse of being from a far away land wasn’t convincing any longer since everything went to Tartarus anyway.

"You are kidding, right?" Sunny started in astonishment, remembering the short conversations they had in their freetime earlier about the origin of the Rainbooms’ abilities. Something about another world, it was vague, "I mean the part where you came from another world made sorta sense, I guess? But Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna? Immortal co-rulers of a land of magical talking ponies? Gee, someone got the short end of the stick there," the former CPA student commented in amusement and disbelief. Afterwards she raised an eyebrow, more serious again, “But how is that even possible?”

Though that explained for her why the Rainbooms had equine ears on their heads during the Friendship Games..

Sunset chuckled nervously, not sure how to explain herself, “Weeeell, you could say I want to come clean with you and I’m a little tired of keeping my guard up around everybody except my friends.” But she was sure that she could trust the duo in front of her with more informations, “I don’t only come from another world, but a parallel one. It is similar to yours when it comes to its inhabitants. Until now I can confirm that everybody who lives here should have a counterpart on Equus.”

Shining Armor shook his head in defeat, he needed to sleep about everything. Another topic was more interesting for him, "And banished to the moon? How does that work? Shouldn't she die up there, because the moon has no air to breathe? And when she was banished there, how could she return to her sister's side?" he asked further.

Sunset grinned smugly, "Magic. No, seriously. There was once a dark being who called herself Nightmare Moon. She wanted to bring eternal night and had possessed Princess Luna, apparently. Having been influenced by whispers in her head. Luna grew jealous and hateful, because everypony slept during her night and nopony appreciated her. They even linked her domain and the princess in process with the dark and unknown; with evil. So they stopped to visit the Night Court of the younger sister and only wanted to visit the Day Court of the older sister, she felt ignored and abandoned, unloved by her subjects. So this mare became one with her inner darkness in order to force everyone to love her night. Her big sister, in order to save her subjects and the world at whole, had to seal her within the moon for 1000 years with six holy, magical artifacts; the Elements of Harmony. They represented six virtues. Honesty, Generosity, Laughter, Kindness, Loyalty and Magic.”

“Did she just say everypony?” Shining thought tiredly.

“That sounds like something you would see in a cartoon for children or younger teenagers,” Sunny said dryly. Their only male member of the trio chuckled.

The amber magician sighed, “Yes, I am aware of that. The point is that this is the official version. Princess Celestia once told me about Nightmare Moon in greater detail when I was younger, because I asked her who she was exactly, having read about her in a book. She said that Nightmare Moon was only sealed in the moon by her big sister, because the older sibling was blinded by the worship she received from her Ponies, remaining ignorant of her sister's plight. So it was her fault, too, because she never tried to put an end to the undeserved fear and distrust the younger sibling received. She saw the plight of her only relative as a childish phase, which would disappear in time.”

Shining nodded his head in understanding, “The attention and adoration of others can easily twist your head and perception of the truth, if you are not careful.”

Sunset winced, knowing very well how close his statement hit. She was relieved that they didn’t notice, “As you can surely guess by now, she talked about herself and Princess Luna. On the 1000th Summer Sun Celebration, a holiday in Equestria, Nightmare Moon returned from her banishment. She attacked Princess Celestia, banished her to the sun and wanted to bring eternal night. But the pony counterpart of Twilight and her five friends, the Pony versions of Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity, were chosen by the Elements of Harmony and purified Princess Luna from her darkness with the help of the artifacts."

She was curious though what the Elements did to Princess Luna, aside from destroying the Nightmare. Her other self told her that they forced her to follow their virtues until she liberated their mind from the influence. Sunset didn't tell the others about it, because it would likely make them question their friendship and their entire relationship in general. They would wonder if the former Unicorn just befriended them, because she had no choice.

"What do you ponies even look like? Like normal horses here, just with horns and wings? And are Earth Ponies weaker, because they have none of it?" Shining Armor asked, in sincere curiosity.

To Sunny's and Shining's confusion, Sunset turned an unhealthy shade of green in her face, "Guuuuhhh. Sorry, but your horses and ponies are just too creepy. They have such cold, black eyes, dull colors, no facial expressions, such a strange body... so, no. Besides, they are like average animals. No. We Ponies, well, from what I understand, we would look adorable and cute to you humans. An average Pony would reach to your hip or a little higher, so we have the size of medium to large dogs. Our body structure is thinner than the body of a normal horse and our legs look and function a lot differently. We are much more colorful in fur, eye and hair coloration and have a much shorter muzzles. It looks quite similar to a human's face. We have, on each of our flanks, a symbol that represents our special talent. It's called a Cutie Mark and to you-" Twilight’s older brother laughed, tears in his eyes. Sunny found it adorable.

The magician pouted, "Hardy-har-har. Laugh it up, tough guy. Yes, they are called Cutie Marks. And to answer your second question, everypony, yes, we use that as a word, deal with it, has magic. The same can be said for every Pony tribe. Earth Ponies are the best farmers. They can grow plants of all kinds with their magic at a rate that would make a GM farmer blush. They have great endurance and strength. They also have a more fine control of their manes and tails, to the point that they can hold objects with them, use them as tools or even manipulate each strand of hair individually, with enough focus.”

Sunny Flare supported her chin on crossed fingers and ogled the teenager like a child in awe, mesmerized by such tales, “And what about the other two tribes? What can they do?”

Sunset chuckled at her teammate’s enthusiasm, “Pegasi control the weather and... we should let it be the only explanation, because what Pegasi can do with weather is a whole story on its own. Trust me, it's sometimes very complicated.” A nostalgic smile graced her features, “Unicorns can do many different things, like levitation, teleportation and transformation as a few examples. They use their horns as a focus of their will to command great amounts of magic.”

The former police officer thought he connected the dots, “So the Luna and Celestia of your world must be pretty strong Unicorns, right? Tons of magic are surely needed to seal someone away like that.”

A sly undertone was noticed by the two born humans, “Close enough. Princess Luna and Princess Celestia are called Alicorns, because they have the abilities and appearance of all three tribes in one. That means they have a horn and wings at the same time, but also the implied powers of the Earth Pony,” Sunset ended her lecture.

"Ohhhh! You Ponies sound so cute! I wish I could see how you look as one," Sunny said with a smirk, "I could comb your mane and your tail, scratch you behind your ears and make you my little Unicorn."

The girl in question shivered, but knew that she didn't mean anything by it.

"Hmm, that sounds like the Pony counterparts of the principals are crowned princesses, these Alicorns, because they are all three Pony tribes in one package and have the power to back up their position. But why princesses and not queens?" Shining asked.

"The princesses didn't announce themselves queens, because they wanted to show that they were equals in every right. And because Equestria had its fair share of bad experiences with evil queens and kings in the older times. They were always crowned princesses since the unification of the three tribes. We have four princesses in the moment. OK, maybe five, from what I'm aware of. Princess Celestia, Princess of the Sun. Princess Luna, Princess of the Moon. Princess Cadance, Princess of Love, her daughter, Princess Flurry Heart and Princess Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship." Sunny was confused and Shining was shocked, deeply.

She didn’t want to overload the other two with too much input and hoped that they simply connected the titles of the Celestial Sisters with the time of day they ruled. No questions were asked in this regard.

"Wait a minute. Cadance's counterpart is the Princess of Love? It makes... some kind of sense? And my little sister is the Princess of Friendship? Are we really talking about Twily's counterpart, here? And if Cadance has a daughter, then who is the father?" He had an idea.

Sunset grinned waggishly in response, "Who? The dazzling former captain of Princess Celestia's Solar Guard of course. Princess Cadance and he, as her husband, rule over their own domain, the Crystal Empire. His name is Prince Shining Armor," she ended her sentence dramatically.

He froze with a wide open mouth and shrunken pupils.

Sunny waved her hand in front of his face for a few seconds. He didn't react at all, "I think you broke him. If he and Cadance rule an 'empire', doesn't that make them 'empress' and 'emperor' and not princess and prince?"

Sunset shrugged with her shoulders, "In theory? Yes. But they wanted to be prince and princess and rule as equals, in order to show their support for Equestria's way of life. And Princess Cadance really didn't want to be addressed with a higher rank as Princess Celestia, from what I know."

It was interesting and confusing at the same time, but there was something that Sunny found strange, "How do you even know all that? I thought you lived here for a long time already, from what the others told about you when I asked them. But you talk about some topics like you were there."

That was bad, Sunset thought. Except her human friends from CHS, nobody knew about the portal and this knowledge could cause great trouble in the wrong hands.

The magician was nervous and angry at herself. She didn't want that the portal or her diary would become common knowledge, especially because it was, with its counterpart in Equestria, the only bridge for her to return, as far as she knew. But only if the pedestal of the statue still existed and wasn't already destroyed by Raga's Infernal Guard.

It didn't matter in this case, this people, Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Shining, the Shadowbolts, Moondancer wasn't decided, yet, besides her friends from CHS who already know most things, were now her closest allies and friends as well. They deserved to know what was going on and needed to be informed accordingly. Kept up to date so to say.

"You have to promise me that you will keep what I'm telling you now a secret. You can only talk about it with the Rainbooms, Twilight, your Shadowbolt friends, Cadance and the principals, because some of them already knew a few things about me. Can I trust you?" she nearly implored.

Sunny Flare nodded her head, "No problem. Your secret is safe with me." She hit Shining Armor in the side.

"Wha-what happened?! Why did you hit me?" he asked irritated at first, then he remembered why he spaced out. Oh.

The Shadowbolt frowned at him, "Did you even listen to anything we said?"

"Yes, I heard everything. I wasn't that out of it. I just didn't know what to say to something like that. Yes, Cadance and I planned to marry each other in the future, but we never talked about children. Suddenly I'm being told that my counterpart is married, father and ruler of an entire empire. It was a bit too much," Shining Armor confessed to them.

"Oh, I was wondering just now. Do you know my counterpart, too?" Sunny enquired suddenly.

"Hmm? No, sorry. I never met your counterpart before, or heard about her. But I'm sure she's somewhere in Equestria." Sunset didn't want to tell her that her counterpart, for all she knew, could be something else entirely. On Equus were many sapient races. Still, until she had a proof, Sunset didn't want to make Sunny nervous about the possibility that her counterpart could be a donkey.

No offense to donkeys of course.

"Don't worry, it's fine," Sunny Flare smiled reassured.

The former Unicorn sighed fatefully, “To tell you the truth, I took a magical diary from Equestria with me. I can use that to write to Princess Twilight. By the way, the book is the reason I know everything about Equestria, even if I'm not there,. The Princess tells me many things when we write with each other. She has the other journal and it was her who came to help us defeating the sirens in the Battle of the Bands. She-” Sunset swallowed heavily, “-came to stop me, as I tried to steal something important from her and Equestria. She took it back, defeated me, helped me to see reason and in process to befriend the others. I was always ambitious in my earlier days and would use everything to my advantage, without remorse. I thought of friends and others as distractions and obstacles. I can understand if you would think of me as a selfish bully..." she closed her eyes in resignation.

She felt hands on her shoulders, from both of her teammates, and saw them looking at her with kind eyes and an understanding smile.

"Sunset, we are not angry with you. Everybody makes mistakes, some are bigger than others. But in the end it was you who changed to a better person. That is what matters," Shining told her.

“Yes, thanks to Twilight and the Elements of Harmony,” Sunset thought bitterly.

"But there is something I can't really believe," Sunny Flare said in a very serious tone.

"Hmm? What is it?" Sunset didn't like where this led.

The former student of Crystal Prep sounded indifferent, "In our long history, many humans built their own kind of 'paradise' and on the outside it all looked fine, but on the inside were the hidden 'corpses in the closet'. Or to say it in another way: 'The closer you are to the light, the greater your shadow becomes'. Especially the 'most peaceful' places are an El Dorado for crimes, power plays or hidden politics with its own agenda and secrets.”

Sunset knew these things already. What was this all about?

Sunny continued more somber, “Real problems will be solved in the shadows, hidden to the eyes of the public, in order to hold up the facade of peace and prosperity and to please the clueless, naive citizens. Something like pure innocence is very rare. Even more rarely is something like that allowed to be continued in the real world.”

The Unicorn-turned-human snorted, “And what is your point?”

Sunny Flare held her hands up in an appeasing manner, “I'm sorry Sunset, but I can't really believe that your Princess Celestia could keep every enemy of state at bay with mere words or a friendly smile. I can only imagine how many threats she disposed of and the books of history just told of her version. As another idiom goes: 'History is written by the victors'. It would be damaging for the ruler's image and his or her created paradise when the ugly truth in form of survivors or history books remained. Both would ruin everything. That means the truth will be changed to ensure the maintenance of the paradise. In this way they can follow their aim to achieve 'Peace and Harmony'."

After Sunny Flare was finished, she saw how Sunset and Shining looked at her in surprise, in light of the amount of wisdom they just witnessed.

She blushed furiously in response, "Come on guys, please don't look at me like that. I just really like riddles and to find out secrets in general. So I like to read old stories about history and politics of the older times. It's just an embarrassing hobby. Nothing more."

Shining complemented her regardless in amazement, "I've rarely heard words with so much hidden truth. Yes, it's most of the time the case that people can only see reality like they want to see it, but most don't want to accept such a painful truth. Peace has to be fought for. You won't receive it for free. That is, sadly, how it is."

Sunset closed her eyes and sighed fatefully in her mind, the words of both her friends reminded her of something she didn't like to think about, because it felt like treason or... ungratefulness for her.

She remembered things her other self told her, before they fused back together:

”Maybe the princess even disposed of some dangers in a more permanent way, but that happened in the hidden shadows, where her subjects wouldn't witness it.”

It made her question everything she ever learned about Equestria's unbreakable virtues, or the infallibility of Princess Celestia, and forced Sunset to see her former teacher from a different angle, this made her pretty nervous. Behavior and thoughts the Ponies of her home country, especially the ones who believe in her abilities on a religious level and would follow her every order, would see as sheer blasphemy.

She had to sleep on it.

"I think we should go to sleep and start searching in the early morning. Good night guys." That being said, Sunset yawned convincingly and backtracked herself into the warmth of the tent.

Sunny and Shining looked at each other, surprised by Sunset's sudden decision to rest, but shrugged it off and went to sleep, too, entering the realm of dreams.

Cinch trained for two days at the Temple of Cinder. She could always admire its architecture anew.

The temple itself had at least 100 meters in height and 300 meters in width, its appearance reminded her of the Gothic style from the 13th to 14th century.

The material the temple was made of was primarily Zyphorium, in an orange, glowing color. It was used for the rich, with spells enforced and symbols inscribed gates in the west, south, east and north. Pointed arches atop the obsidian made windows, which were painted with the symbol of a simple flame in varied intensities in dark blue.

And the spires!

At least 25 steeple-looking towers existed. Five were positioned with a distance of 30 meters between each other in the south, west, east, north and the center 20 of them reached 100 meters high and were 20 meters broad. The five in the center reached perhaps 120 meters in height and were the greatest ones. 50 meters broad, arranged in a cross formation relative to each other, not in a line like the other towers. They were also covered in different colored flames, black, blue, red, green and yellow. They were Gothic styled too, and gave the illusion, with help of pillars, arches and more, that the entire temple expanded in height, which made it that much more impressive.

The foundation and the very stone the temple was built of was enchanted against magic and other weapons, and the outer temple walls were colored a sandy brown. It gave the entire building an ancient sort of charm.

She was inside the building and wandered through the cross-ribbed, vault-covered halls and corridors. The cross-ribbed vaults themselves were colored in a scarlet red and pure gold in changing patterns. The ground was checkered in purple and sapphire blue.

Sentinels patrolled in teams of two to five through the whole construction, or were positioned in pairs of two at opposite walls. The security was very high, in her opinion.

Two libraries, the Holy Flame Library in the southeast of the temple and the Nemesis Library in the northwest, were the bastions of knowledge in this place. Cinch had access to information about her powers, the culture of this land and possibilities to develop in this place.

She was only there a short time, but she already heard from conversations and the right questions at the right time that two major forces of fire elementals occupied the temple for themselves, split its areas in two and had a great influence on their own. One force had influence in the temple itself, but not much outside. It was the religious fraction of the fire elementals. The other force had influence outside of the temple, but not much inside. It represented the highest elite force of the military.

The Order of the Holy Flame, which believed that the Burning Mountains only existed because of its eternal warmth, a well-structured organization, in her view. And they had the leadership in this building and its various outposts. Their leader was a fire elemental, named: Archbishop Magma.

Nemesis' Crusade was the other faction and the most powerful elite force in the military, to her knowledge. Well, from what Cinch knew. She was only here since two days, after all. This force was led by Archon Nemesis herself.

She never saw either one of them, but Cinch wasn't keen on that either, because she heard that beings who were weak couldn't exist in their proximity. Their magical auras were very strong and Abacus Cinch didn't have the wish to perish.

Hence, she once asked High Recruiter Igniticious why the military was there, when the order had the final say in things related to the Temple of Cinder. He just laughed in his burning voice and said to her that the highest leader, the Lord of the Everlasting Fire decided that, but he left the order to its own devices, for the most part.

After Cinch was so bold to ask who this lord was, he admonished her, saying that she didn't need to know the name, yet. She was quiet immediately.

She was still so used to others jumping when she demanded something from her time as a principal of Crystal Prep that she forgot her position. No, from this point on she would serve in perfection.

She trained the control of her magic and first abilities. Cinch could already shoot beams of flame from of her palms, summon flames out of circles at her feet and create fire chains. Not bad for only two days of training, but she knew that her iron discipline was the reason for it. The High Recruiter himself trained her first and foremost and sometimes he would let her fight a lesser fire elemental. She would fight against stronger elementals as her training would progress, so he said.

Yes, she, Abacus Cinch, would prove herself worthy of the title and rank as Blazing Inquisistress.

"Who are you and what are you doing in the temple?" a voice inquired accusingly. She didn't recognize the owner, but she already knew it was male. Cinch's powers told her. Sometimes it could be very hard for a non-elemental to hear solely by the voice who among the elementals could be defined as male or female.

An unknown tall, gallant-appearing fire elemental made of indigo flames had asked her the question. She had to be respectful. The High Recruiter once told her that only elementals of high rank were allowed on the temple grounds. It made the former principal wonder why she had the right to be here.

Abacus nodded her head in a polite gesture, "Greetings, Milord. My name is Abacus Cinch. I was given the rank of a Blazing Inquisitress, it is truly an honor to meet you. What can I do for you?" It was strange. He looked at her in, she couldn't place it. Recognition? Surprise? Why? Cinch was sure that she never met him before.

"I am Commander Raga, leader of the Infernal Guard. It is... a surprise to make your acquaintance. I thought half-elementals always trained and lived in the Conclaves of Initiation with other Scions. Of course, I mean you no disrespect. I must confess I never met a Scion with such a special rank as 'Blazing Inquisitress', so excuse my rude behaviour, my lady." Raga said humbly, but interested.

So her rank meant something? Cinch didn't know that. She thought that she occupied a lowly position, because she took the deal only recently and was solely tolerated in the temple because of High Recruiter Igniticious. She had to search for literature about the fire elementals’ chain of command one day.

Cinch bowed briefly in acknowledgement, "I thank you for your kind words, Commander Raga, I'm the Scion of-"

"Ah, Commander Raga! I awaited the report about your little 'training session'."

They both turned around to face the owner of the new distorted, smoky and very deep voice, and saw someone, or something, who gave Cinch the chills. It looked like a skeleton. Yes, a skeletal giant, 10 feet tall in forest green flames. He looked at her with empty, blazing eye sockets, it gave the impression as if he tried to look into her very soul. She couldn't see the colors of the bones.

The skeleton itself looked very human, but it had many more bones at its disposal. She saw at least 20 ribs, not the normal 12.

The bones themselves were much thicker than usual as well. She only saw them, because the scarlet red robe he wore was open at the upper body to the location where his stomach should be. Otherwise, the fabric surrounded his bones to the ground. The skeleton wore a fitting scarlet red cap as headgear, but it belonged clearly to a religious type. by its appearance. He must be part of the Order of the Holy Flame, the half-elemental mused.

"I don't think we met yet. A denied pleasure, I must say. My name is Pontiff Infernus." He looked at the nervous woman, "And you must be the new Inquisitress I heard about. Your teacher has a very high opinion about you and thinks that you will be a helpful addition to our ranks, my dear. You should return to your training." Infernus rested his gaze on Raga, "My faithful Commander. Follow me, if you would be so kind."

Raga put a hand to his chest and bowed his head, "Yes, Milord!" Raga followed the High Priest and both left Abacus Cinch alone.

The High Recruiter thought highly of her? Her hard work began to gain her recognition. Yes, she would build herself a new reputation again and the name ‘Abacus Cinch’ shall be whispered in awe and respect.

The next morning arrived in form of an orange-red dawn. The three-piece rescue team was ready to finally enter White Tail Woods. They packed their camp equipment together and put it on their backs.

"We should hurry. Come on," Shining urged the girls.

"Aye, Captain Armor," Sunny muttered sleepily.

The team noticed another problem as they made themselves ready. The clothes. Every one of them was limited in their choice and the rest of the team at the farm was, too. They hoped they could buy new pieces later in Ponyville, especially Shining, who only wore his dark blue uniform when they had to escape out of Canterlot City. Owning just one set of clothes was annoying.

He even had to ask Big Mac for spare underwear. It was a very awkward talk. Shining Armor prayed that Cadance would never find out the details or she would never let him live that down.

They walked in the forest for three hours without success. Suddenly Sunny shrieked in shock, pale as a ghost, and pointed to the right, "Look!"

The team found two of the three students, or what remained of them: withered husks. The corpses looked like someone sucked everything out of them. Shining mumbled something about ‘victims of the mummy’, inaudible to the young women.

Sunset turned a little green in the face, but she could hold her breakfast inside, which surprised her. Since everything started, she seemed to be able to pull herself together faster with every event. She wondered if that was something bad or good.

Her eyes widened in recognition, "I know these two. The girl was called Water Melody. I can still recognize her green hair and the black gloves. She, like every student, took part in the activities of Camp Everfree and I shortly talked with her when Fluttershy and I tried to build a birdhouse. She tried to build a ‘mobile feeding ground’, to use her description. The boy was named Micro Chips. I recognize his black glasses and blue hair. Twilight talked with him about some series called 'The Big Void Theory' or something, I didn't listen to details."

"These poor guys. What could do something like that?" Shining Armor wondered. "Hopefully not the mummy." he whispered to himself, again.

"I really don't know, but we have to find the last student. Maybe he or she could escape who- or whatever that was." Sunset went ahead, deeper into the forest, Sunny and Shining in close pursuit.

They all hoped that at least one survived, but in the back of their minds, the team already knew the painful truth.

The forest got darker. The sounds of animals stopped a while ago and more and more trees had no leaves, dead and surrounded by... spider webs? Sunset was perplexed. These circumstances gave her a bad feeling.

"Something isn’t right here. The forest looks more and more like a deathtrap. Dead trees, brown grass blades, no flowers, no noises of animals and a lot of webs, I guess from spiders." Sunny Flare voiced her own observations,. "What worries me the most is the size of these things, if they can create such amounts.”

They didn't notice the glowing brown eyes in the dark. Every step of the team was carefully watched.

"Look! There is another area." Shining pointed out.

He showed them a steep path. It led down into a valley. The stone walls were mounted with peculiar green ores. They followed the path downwards. The valley itself was full of spider webs and infertile earth. No plants, just hard stone. They reached a few dark looking caves.

"I think we should-behind you!" Sunny screamed in panic.

Sunset turned around, just to face a giant, hairy spider. It tried to bite her, but just in time, she engulfed her body in phoenix fire and surprised the attacker, making it stop for a moment.

"Take that!" Sunset shot flames from her hands upon the spider's entire body, it shrieked in terror, the flames eating away at it in a fast rate. After a few seconds it fell to the ground, dead.

"Wow, Sunset! That was so cool!" Sunny exclaimed in a much more excited manner.

"Thank you. I trained my control a little in my free time at the farm. Of course, it helped that I already had an idea how to focus magic. Watch." In order to prove her point, the magician concentrated and her flames extinguished before they could jump from the spider to the surrounding forest and caused a forest fire by accident.

"So, that is the reason your clothes are not burning away? You can control now what, where and how long something will burn when it comes in contact with your magic?" Shining asked, a little jealous.

Sunset couldn't let this temptation go to waste and smiled seductively at him, "Oh Shining Armor. I thought you had only feelings for Cadance and now you want to see me naked? How naughty."

His head exploded in a blush and he stammered excuses. Sunny Flare knew what Sunset was going for and laughed loudly.

"Wh-What?! No, no, no! I swear, that wasn't the reason I asked! Pl-please forgive me and don't tell anybody! Cadance would have my head!" he implored.

The amber girl turned her head away in a dramatic way, “So you don't like my body? Am I too ugly for you, is that it?"

Sunny decided to play along, She gasped, “How could you?! Sunset has feelings, too! And you know what? This morning, as you watched for a safe way into White Tails, she told me everything. I can't believe you jerk would reject her like that! I'll tell Cadance!"

Shining went full panic mode, bathed in perspiration. He thought about a possibility how he could save his life, but he knew it was all over! He would never escape!

Luna and Celestia would destroy him, because they would think that he tried to seduce a minor!

What would his sister do?! She would disown him as her brother, that's what she would do! And Cadance... she would abandon him! She-! His inner terror stopped as he heard full blown laughter from the girls. Then he understood. They both had tricked him.

He groaned, "That wasn't funny,"

"Sorry, Shining, but you ran into that one. It's always funny for me how you humans have such huge problems with nudity. I mean, sheesh. You are not born with clothes and still you have such a high level of shame when it comes down to that." Sunset explained her point. "But to answer your question seriously now, yes. I can control my fire to a level that my clothes won't burn to ashes."

"Let's go forward. I don't think our missing person will be here, but-" Sunny squinted her eyes and saw something; a shoe, "I found something!" She announced and ran ahead into a smaller looking cave to their left.

Sunny was so eager to put the whole thing behind her and excited that they finally found a clue, she didn't see the lurking spider above her.

But Shining saw it in an instant, "Sunny Flare! Watch out!"

The girl in question looked up, just to get jumped by it. She couldn't dodge. Sunny knew that instantly. She closed her eyes and hoped her death would be painless. She would never see her friends again. She waited... waited... and waited... why was she still alive? Sunny Flare opened her eyes, just to see a bright gold-whitish bubble, which shielded her entire body, and the spider's angry but futile attempts to break through.

"Shining Armor! What that your doing?" Sunset asked the alumnus of CPA, surprised.

He was still quite shaken by this close call, "I guess so? I just saw how this thing jumped at Sunny and my only wish was to protect her, to protect an innocent. I failed to do my duty in Canterlot, but I refused to fail again. I wanted to save her. Then something awoke inside of me and my body did something on its own accord. It's strange. I suddenly know how to use my... magic? Yes, my magic. And a name: 'Paladin Magic'."

Shining was determined. Finally he could protect again! "Hey, ugly! Fight with someone your own size!" The spider stopped its attacks on Sunny and looked at him. It screeched at a high pitch and charged, poisoned fangs in position.

This time a wall made of holy light appeared directly in front of Shining and the spider crashed full speed into it. They could hear a loud snapping sound and the spider screamed again, now in pain because of its broken fangs. It tried to bite through the wall.

"Shining! End it fast!" Sunny Flare shouted from the distance.

The young police officer concentrated again, and a sword, made out of golden light, with a length of 1.20 meters appeared in his hand. "Hai-Yaaaaahhhhhh!" With an angry warcry, Shining charged at the spider.

It turned around, too late.

He rammed his sword into the skull of the spider and ended its life. He panted heavily from exhaustion and a short time later, the sword disappeared, "Is magic always this hard?" He looked at Sunset for an answer.

"You get used to it. Most of you guys never used magic before, so its something new for you, especially because you used your magic a few times in a row. Train a little bit and your endurance will become greater. Training your magic is like training a muscle; everything is about practice. Well, and not overexerting yourself," Sunset explained in her lecture mode.

Shining wanted to say something, but didn't get a chance. Sunny Flare tackle-hugged him for a few seconds.

"Thanks. Without you I would have been a goner." She smiled mischievously at him and released him from the hug, "I guess I will tell Cadance that you are perhaps more than decoration. But seriously, I will repay you somehow. I hate to be in debt."

"It's fine, Sunny. Really, I just did the right thing. You don't owe me anything at all," Shining responded kindly.

Three more spiders came from the cave, alerted by the earlier fight. They all tried to attack at once, but Sunset positioned herself in the front this time. She flexed more of her power now, inhaled deeply and out of a bigger spell circle in front of her, a five meter broad fire breath roasted all three spiders to burning crisps.

"We have to look out for them. I fear this valley has their nest somewhere. We should go somewhere else. This shoe could belong to any person, or it could be-" Sunset couldn't finish her thoughts.

"A trap? Seriously Sunset, you saw how they behaved. They are big, but at the end of the day, these things are just spiders. They can't plan a trap like that," Shining stated.

He was kind of right, but something told Sunset that there was more behind it, "I think we have to face it. The third student will be already dead, too. Even if we're hoping that someone survived. More important now is that we do something about these spiders. I'm sure they did that to Water Melody and Micro Chips. Spiders inject their prey with poison to liquefy the organs, so they can drink everything out. For future people, who could wander into the White Tail Woods, we have to eliminate them," she finished with courage.

"You are right. Well, we shouldn't have any trouble with our combined magic. Let's go further into the cave," Shining agreed and led them now because of the protection he could give.

Sunny walked besides the Phoenix Magic user the whole time and stared at her sometimes, Sunset had enough and asked, "Is something wrong? You've been looking at me strangely since we started to move again."

"Oh you saw that?” She cleared her throat, “It's... how can I say it? Uhm, you see, Sunset... I've had my share of conversations with your friends, because I wanted to know more about you. Sorry I didn't talk with you directly, by the way. The thing is, they told me only positive things about you, but what they said the most was your devotion to do good in a 'holier-than-thou' kind of way. And no, the last part is just my perspective. They even shared your attitude at some points. But back to the point, you always wanted to redeem others to show that the 'Magic of Friendship' will always win in the end, no matter the odds.

The former Unicorn raised an eyebrow, “And? There is nothing wrong with giving others a second chance. Celestia knows I needed it.”

Sunny ignored the strange way she addressed the principal, looking sheepishly, “Of course not! But now you are the first who clearly said that we should kill all spiders, without a second thought. We both know it is the right thing to do; the necessary thing to do. I was just very surprised that you came up with such a plan without any disgust in your voice or even thought about a peaceful solution,” she clarified.

“Sometimes we have to do in life, what is necessary. We have to adapt ourselves to the circumstances, take the odds head-on and do our best. Life is not always easy or like a wish concert. Life gives us plenty of choices. We just have to be careful that we make the right call in the end. But it won't always be the way we want, nor the way we like. Being in this world has taught me that. If a peaceful solution is possible, good. If you know that going for it would be pointless, it's best to do what you have to to resolve the situation,” Sunset replied in grim acceptance.

Sunny looked at her with a sad smile.

"Hey, hurry up! It seems our 'cave' was a 'tunnel' the whole time! There is a way out!" Shining Armor shouted from a good distance in front of them.

"You heard him. Let's do it." Sunny started to run to catch up with Shining.

Sunny Flare was right, much to Sunset's shock. She really came up with the plan to kill the spiders without any second thought. And worse, it was OK to her. Even to think about killing something didn't bother her in the case of the spiders.

That was not the Pony-way!

Sunset already accepted from the talk with her former demon, the Everfree Forest incident, or the invasion of Canterlot that the Magic of Friendship couldn't solve everything and you had to fight. But was she starting to lose herself? Was she losing and forgetting everything she learned from Princess Twilight?

No! She wouldn't lose herself. Sunset was sure. The spiders were likely just a one-time thing. After that she could always go back to her ways of forgiveness. Besides, the spiders couldn't talk, so they couldn't be reasoned with, right?

With this last thought in mind, Sunset left the dark tunnel of stone and stepped out to catch up with her friends.

They apparently found the center of the spiders’ hideout, so Sunset believed. A giant spiral led into the underground. The green ore was everywhere along the walls and boulders around them. These strange looking structures were sharp and varied in form and size, putting color in the landscape of pure white stone, including the spiral.

Now she recognized the stone of the helix and the biggest part of the valley; marble. Sunset was lucky that Pinkie Pie wasn't here, or she would make a joke about the stone and her little sister.

The spiral around the entire area was massive, maybe 100m² altogether, made of the expensive stone. Webs were everywhere, festooning the place. And, of course, the spiders themselves. There were at least 20 of them, but something was peculiar. They just looked at them, but not a single one attacked.

"Ah, our dear guests have arrived. The murderers of my children," a creepy female voice announced. Out from the depth of the spiral came the most disturbing spider the group ever saw, it looked like a giant albino, if not for the legs, and it dwarfed all the other spiders by a long shot.

The Queen, Sunset realized.

"S-So you are the leader of these spiders. What did you do to the third student? W-We found only a shoe," Sunny asked in fear.

As a response, the giant matriarch looked to her right. The others followed and what they saw disgusted them badly. The head of the student hung from a giant rock thorn of the spiral on a thick string of spider silk. The rest of the corpse was pierced and hung on another thorn, beside the head. Both body parts were dried out.

Sunset recognized him still, because Flash introduced her to him in the time when they were still together in her bad days. "Sandalwood," she whispered loud enough for the others to hear.

"You monster! You violated his body as well. Have you have no respect for the dead!?" Shining Armor shouted at the giant spider with disgust and anger.

"Respect? HA! I made an example out of his corpse for any weaklings who thinks they could take away my domain. This area is mine and I won't share it with anyone. Whoever trespasses here will die," the matriarch explained with authority."You humans are amusing. Why should I care for some 'rules' or 'morals'? You are nothing more than food. I have no reason to respect the feelings of my meals."

Sunset put a hand on Shining's shoulder to calm him down, "Be careful. I think she wants to goad you, so that you'll make mistakes." she warned.

"Your friend is right; you should be careful, but I just have to tell you how I met this 'Sandalwood'. He ran away like a coward when my children consumed the other humans. He literally fell into my domain, broken. So I, in all my wisdom, released him from his miserable existence. After I had my fun, of course. I punctured his skin and pumped him slowly full with venom to prolong the process. Oh, how he screamed in agony. It was truly delicious. I love it when my prey fights back and screams, but in the end, I will win. You should have heard him. But where are my manners? My name is Arachne. It is a pleasure to meet you. I hope we can be the best of friends," she mocked with a malicious undertone.

"Shut up!" Sunny Flare screamed furiously. She took out a knife from a pocket of her shorts and threw it at the spider. At the same time, Shining shot a sphere of light in her direction, the size of his head.

"I don't think so," Arachne responded coolly and shot, much to the humans shock, an equally sized sphere of white lightning. Both spheres collided in midair and caused a bright golden explosion, "Surprised? Yes, I can use magic, too. Shocking, isn't it?"

Sunset's eye twitched at the pun.

The red and yellow haired girl sighed and looked again into this merciless eyes, "I don't understand you. You are clearly sapient, but you seek to kill and torture the innocent. Why? Why are you doing this? I'm sure you and your brood could easily live on normal animals and have no need for hunting humans. Can't we talk this out?"

Her friends looked shocked at Sunset. It was her idea in the first place to kill the spiders, with good reasons. So why the sudden change of heart?

"Sunset, what are you doing? I thought we were on the same page. That we have to kill them, because they would never stop killing the innocents otherwise," Sunny Flare whispered annoyed and confused. Shining nodded.

Sunset couldn't do that. The spiders were normal predators, animals. There was nothing she could do about them. But now she knew that they had a mother. Worse, the matriarch was intelligent and could talk. She promised herself that she wouldn't lose her path entirely. The princess showed her. She wouldn't take an intelligent life if she could help it!

"Please, if you attack us, then we have no other choice than to kill more of your children in self-defense. So, what do you say?" Sunset tried one last time.

"What do I say? I say I have enough of this ridiculous chatting. It is time to feed my children. Devour them!" the matriarch ordered, her brood attacking.

"Sunny, behind me! Sunset, I will shield us from all sides with walls of light, except the front. You have to roast them as much as possible, or they will overrun us." the former police officer ordered harshly.

Shining started to concentrate and breathed heavier, but he managed to put up higher walls in all directions he mentioned, before the first spider closed the distance.

"I really tried, but I won't-I CAN'T let you get away with that!" Furious now, because the spiders solely accepted ‘kill or be killed’ as a language, Sunset shot eight small fireballs from both hands so she wouldn't overdo it.
Some spiders managed to dodge, but she hit four of them. 17 foes were left, including the queen. But for Sunset... it was a heavy blow to her moral code, she never had to fight a sapient being to its potential death. In her mind, she had to fight solely 16 opponents. Maybe Arachne could be redeemed, still.

"Incoming from the right!" Sunny warned, then two spiders rammed the right wall. Shining grunted. He had to hold up the wall or they would die.

"Sunset! Take care of the spiders in front of us. I will try to stop them from the sides." he exclaimed in determination. She nodded her head in agreement.

Sunset started to focus again and summoned her fire breath. She killed five spiders at once; 12 remained.

"From the left!" Sunny announced this time. Again, two spiders rammed the second wall. Shining Armor was in trouble. He never used this much magic before and he had no training in proper control. He had to invest much more magic in his spells as if he had proper training.

One spider used the moment when the young magician didn't look and lunged at Sunset, pushing her down with one leg, ready to bite the dazed woman.

"No!" Sunny shouted, enraged.

She jumped at the spider and hit it in a futile manner with mere fists against the side of its body. That just angered the arachnid and it easily pushed her away with another leg. She landed hard on the ground. Shining couldn't help or move. He had to hold five spiders at bay with his walls and it took everything he had. It looked like they were about to fail.

“That. Can't. Happen!” the Shadowbolt thought in desperation.

She had to do something. She promised herself that she wouldn't be useless on this trip. Since the invasion of Canterlot City, Sunny tried to do her best, but it was never enough in her opinion. She wouldn't let it end like this! Besides, she had to do something for Sunset. She was still indebted to the girl because of the Friendship Games. And she always repaid her debts.

She stood up and just saw how the spider tried to bite Sunset, who recovered enough to hold the venomous claws away from her face with fire encased hands, to prevent the attack. The redhead was still too dazed to evoke more of her power.

This picture was finally enough to release something Sunny wanted for a long time; the chance to do her part. "Ice Magic," that was she only thing she heard.

A lance of ice shot out of her hand and into the spider's heart, killing it instantly. But before it fell upon Sunset, the girl reacted fast enough to roll to the side. 11 were left.

"Sunny! Look out!" Shining screamed.

The girl in question turned around and was nearly bitten by another spider, but she couldn't dodge completely. The spider hit her left leg and she stumbled onto the hard marble ground, knee first. it caused a very painful laceration.

"Ahhh! Dammit!" Sunny cursed for the first time in her life, but this situation gave her the right to curse, she figured.

Sunset Shimmer had already recovered for the most part and burned her friend's attacker to ash with her flames, nine smaller spiders left, one large. "Can you stand?" she asked her injured teammate, worried.

Sunny put an ice covered hand on her knee and froze the wound with her magic. Sunset looked nervous at that display, but the newest magician assured that no harm was done, "Don't worry. My magic won't give me frostbite. I froze the wound for the time being. Think of it like cauterization, but colder."

The two girls positioned themselves back to back, Sunset killed two more spiders with a second breath of phoenix fire.

At the same time, Sunny put her hands on the ground, summoned a magic circle of ice on it and froze the ground in front of her to stop the third one from advancing. It made the spider slip and it fell to the ground. She used her chance and shot her ice in form of five blue, gleaming, little daggers in the direction of the spider. Three missed, two hit their mark, the weak abdomen. It succumbed fast to internal bleeding and the magical ice in the body.

Six targets remained.

"Enough!" Arachne shouted, livid, "You won't escape my wrath! I will avenge my children!" Her entire body glowed in white electric sparks and from a white magical circle lightning shot brutally into Shining Armor's barriers and the surroundings, shattering them instantly.

The resulting destruction from the attack broke their concentration and blinded them with dust, but their enemies weren't affected. The remaining six spiders pinned down the humans and made themselves ready to devour their prey.

"Wait! I won't make it easy for them. I want to let them suffer for my losses." Arachne ordered maliciously.

She looked between her three future meals and locked eyes with a desperate and tired Sunset Shimmer. She concentrated and created chains of lightning, using them to bind her victims, but this time the lightning was a sickly green.

The effect was immediate. Somehow it stopped them from using any more magic to defend themselves.

A dark cackle escaped the matriarch’s throat, "I hope you are enjoying it. This type of lightning is known for its ability to block off your mana and makes it impossible to use magic for a short time, when the victim is weaker than the caster of the spell. And you wasted all too much of your magic to be even close to freeing yourselves. The second useful effect is to chain my prey without hurting it. This ability was taught to me by the same being who gave me the magic to use lightning, but I digress."

Arachne was enjoying her victory, then her eyes fell upon Sunset, "You! You, oh fire-shooting whore, were the biggest thorn and killed most of my children. I want to make you suffer, hearing you scream! I will let you watch as I slowly torture your friends and liquefy their insides into a puddle. Bring forth the other human female!" she demanded.

"No, please! It’s me you want to torture! I killed most of your descendants! Let them go!" Sunset pleaded for the lives of her friends with tears in her eyes. She closed them fatefully and lowered her head in silence.

Gone was her fury and anger, gone was her will to fight. Still, she couldn't watch how her friends had to die a horrible death, because someone hated her. It should be her in this case, not them.

Oh, what would Princess Twilight do? Would she try to talk about it? Would she surrender? Would she fight back? Sunset didn't know.

Arachne used one of her giant legs to push Sunset's head slowly back up to lock eyes with each other once again, "Now listen to me, you pathetic excuse of a human being, and listen well. Since the magic of this plane awoke, countless changes happened all over this world. Many beings died, many others survived. Kill or be killed, eat or be eaten. Carnivore and herbivore, plants and animals. The strong devour the weak, the eternal fight for survival. Everything that is created on a natural way exists with a reason. Everyone has the chance to choose how they want to spend their life and I enjoy torturing my prey. It's nothing personal. OK, that was a lie, but I like to do what I do.”

Shining Armor snorted in disgust.

She wasn’t done yet and chuckled in cruel amusement, “But disillusioned, pathetic excuses like you can't understand that. No, you have to search for petty excuses for why something shouldn't be like that. Beings like you put everything in categories like 'good' and 'evil'. You demand that you don't have to shape yourselves after life, but that it should be shaped instead after your desires. What arrogance.The world develops itself from everlasting change, but beings like you want to live in eternal stagnation, when it means, that your little dreamworld stays intact. You refuse to acknowledge reality. But when you want to achieve something you have to live in the real world; you have to adapt. That is exactly what I did. In this part of the forest were a few other animals who wanted this area as their home, but I won in the end. Do you think I would still be alive if I tried to 'negotiate'? Of course not. I only survived, because I adapted."
Arachne gave a signal and her children brought Sunny Flare in front of her, "Now it is time to have some fun." she added darkly.

Sunny Flare looked back to her friends, tears in her eyes. She tried to be brave, "It was nice meeting you."

Shining was desperate and tried to struggle harder, but had no chance against the chains. Sunset Shimmer meanwhile looked into Sunny Flare's eyes and couldn't believe what was about to happen.

"Sunset, thank you for everything." The young ice magician closed her eyes and waited for the torment.

POV: Sunset Shimmer's Mind

My friends would die, because I held back. I attacked the spiders with only a part of my magic, because I was always sure that we could find a peaceful agreement; that I didn't have to kill everything. Now it's too late. Shining... Sunny... they will suffer, because I believed until the very end that Arachne would see reason.

That she could be redeemed.

I remembered conversations of the past, but I hoped to banish them in the darkest corners of my mind.

I wanted to keep the Sunset Shimmer who was created by the Magic of Friendship, by the Elements of Harmony. The kind of friendship Princess Twilight shared with me. But was that the right way in the end? Could I save them, if I didn't hold back?

I remembered Celestia upon the hill in the Everfree Forest.

“The world is not always simple and life is not always easy. Both can be much more complicated- No, both are much more complicated. This is the moment of truth, the moment which decides if you are able to adapt without losing yourself, or if you will fail, because you couldn't bring yourself to make necessary sacrifices.”

I remembered my other self on the plateau, in the landscape of my mind:

"Tirek could steal the entire magic from every single Pony with Discord's help, but all that could have been avoided, when Celestia just would have eliminated this guy. Sometimes you can't spare a life, even if it goes against everything you were taught."

I remembered enemies of my past, who would return and I wouldn't be there to face them, to protect what is important to me:

"Tell me, young magician. What is your name?"

"Sunset Shimmer," she replied without moving an inch.

"I will remember you. Maybe one day we will meet again. Until then, get stronger." Those were Commander Raga's last words, before he faced the gateway again and returned home.

I remembered Shining Armor and Sunny Flare, friends, who would suffer and die, because I placed my virtues above their lives:

"Yes, it's most of the time the case that people can only see reality like they want to see it, but most don't want to accept such a painful truth. Peace has to be fought for. You won't receive it for free. That is, sadly, how it is."

"I'm sorry Sunset, but I can't really believe that your Princess Celestia could keep every enemy of state at bay with mere words or a friendly smile."

I remembered the words of my soon to be murderer, who survived because she chose to adapt, when I didn't:

"The world develops itself from everlasting change, but beings like you want to live in eternal stagnation, when it means, that your little dreamworld stays intact. You refuse to acknowledge reality."

I finally realized...

I'm not evil when I do what is necessary and learn to change and adapt according a situation.

It's OK to hold back when no innocent lives are in danger in the process, otherwise that's no option.

Sometimes you have to make a hard decision in life and can't refuse because of the consequences.

Personal sacrifices of my morals are sometimes unavoidable, as long as I won't lose myself and become the the very thing I fight.

I always blocked my own development. By Luna’s wing, I’m such a featherbrain!

First, I did everything possible to achieve princesshood and neglected everything else on purpose, but the deeper reason was that I wanted to be recognized and loved by Princess Celestia.

Then I wanted revenge on Princess Celestia for taking away what I ‘deserved’ and on Twilight Sparkle, because she got what I always dreamed of. I stole the Element of Magic out of spite, but again, because I wanted to prove to Princess Celestia that I could be her equal, and sought once more her recognition. In a... twisted way.

After I was stopped by Princess Twilight and our friends, I wanted to change. They showed me that I can't achieve everything important on my own. To show Twilight my gratitude, and partly because of the Elements' forced influence, I wanted to prove that I could learn to understand Magic of Friendship, like her. I wanted to make Twilight proud of me. I wanted to show the world that friendship could solve all problems.

Maybe, when I try to see the world with a more balanced view, instead of an one sided one, I could save my friends. I never had to be exactly like Princess Celestia, nor exactly like Princess Twilight.

It was enough when I was myself.

I felt how I always held back the full potential of my magic, because I still feared, in the darkest corners of my mind, that I would return to my old ways before the Fall Formal. I realize that now, sincere acceptance. I finally awoke out of my self-induced restrictions.

"Hmm, how could I start?" Arachne asked Sunny Flare with malicious glee. "Should I use my lightning to skin you? Poison you now? What do you think?"

"I-I, please, just end it fast! I can-" Sunny couldn't say more, because she felt a giant heat wave on her back. She turned her head around, just to face a giant pillar of fire in gold, red and blue, like she saw it from Commander Raga, just weaker.

The two spiders who held Sunset down were incinerated immediately. The remaining arachnids, except Arachne herself, ran away in blind panic, the survival instincts stronger than the loyalty to their mother. As the flames disappeared, they saw Sunset again, but this time not in the attire she got from her geode.

She wore an armor, similar to the ones of Celestia and Luna, but her gear was made of a few armor pieces. There was firstly a chain mail in a pure, in radiant shade of silver; mithril, above it. Her main-armor. It was colored in a vibrant ruby red and on her chest was the like golden fire blazing form of a phoenix. The proud firebird had spread wings and a delicate appearance.

The armor itself protected her body, but not entirely. It was gallant in its appearance, masterfully crafted, nearly covering her entire upper body. Her shoulders had even thicker shoulder pads, which were built tightly around them, but gave her perfect mobility to move her arms. Her feet; the armor there had golden highlights on the upper edges of the boots and on the underside, reaching to below the knees. Her hands were covered in fine, thin, fingerless gloves in a golden color, made of an element she didn't know, but not gold itself. Sunset could feel that it was much, much stronger. Her upper arms were protected with gleaming, violet colored armor that didn't engulf the entire area there, but was connected with the shoulder armor through silver colored metal strings.

Sunset had vambraces on her forearms and greaves on her lower legs. They were colored in a shining silver, with adornments in the form of unknown ruby red runes upon them. The headgear was no helmet, but a diadem, shaped in the same form as the phoenix on the chest. On the diadem's center rested a fire ruby, slender and not flashy or big. Its color was a faint aquamarine. Her plate leggings were golden in color with seven, vibrant red highlights over their entire length and protected her from the hip to a little beneath the knees like a second skin. The remainder of the lower legs was protected by equally colored greaves.

In her hand was a 1.7 meter long sword. It had a golden colored and gracefully looking hilt, the sword itself was two-edged, it looked thinly built, but was most robust, it could not be damaged easily by its foes. The blade itself was made of crystal, with a very high fire resistance, it could furthermore store her magic to enforce her abilities in emergencies. The color of the blade varied. It was colored scarlet red from the hilt to nearly the end of its first half where the color merged slowly to this point into a pearl white that dominated the rest of the blade. Her Cutie Mark, the two-colored sun, adorned the base of the hilt from both sides and Sunset's red geode was placed in the center of the blade, where the colors merged perfectly, infused in her sword and could be seen from both sides, glowing.

"W-what are you doing?! How are you able to use your magic?!" Arachne queried nervously. She might have been much bigger, but she felt the power behind Sunset's release of power, worse, she felt that this woman was now far stronger than her.

Sunset opened her eyes, the irises were infused by magic, flickering like unforgiving flames. Ready to devour their foes, "I always held back in this fight, because I put my own beliefs and virtues above all. I understand now, that I can't wish myself to be in a better position and hope that something like fate brings me victory alone. I nearly lost my friends, because I was stupid. But no more. I understand now. I've taken what you said to heart. What you now see before you is my strongest form, with all my magic released. It is still not much in comparison to someone I encountered in the past, but it's more than enough for you, Arachne, I know that.”

Sunny and Shining could only stare at her in sheer awe. Arachne stepped back with every step taken by the Phoenix Magic user. The albino needed to think about a strategy, and fast.

She sighed and looked with pity at the large spider, “I could make demands, force my will upon you and make you eat what I say, but I understand that I have no right to play god in such a way and take everything away from you, just because I don't like it. I won't take your very nature from you. I won't force you to 'redeem' yourself, because that is not your desire. I have to tolerate that, but we both know I can't let you continue. You are a danger to all humans and, from what I've seen, to nature itself., Sunset finished.

Arachne cackled madly, "I see. I thought you would give me an holier-than-thou kind of speech about how I shall change my evil ways. Well, don't think I will run away from you like my children. Let's end this, but before we do that, what is your name?"

The Unicorn-turned-human granted her bit of information,"Sunset Shimmer."

"Then I will enjoy tearing you apart, Sunset Shimmer," came the once more confident boast.

Shining Armor and Sunny Flare used the confusion and stood behind their friend, both magically empty and tired from the last fight. Sunset saw that.

"Please take cover somewhere. I can't hold back with her," she requested urgently.

The magician glared firmly in the spider queen's direction. The giant knew what was on her mind.

"I will kill them later. I can feel that they are done and won't be able to use any more magic for quite some time. You are my problem now," she said angrily.

"Good luck. Sorry that we can't help you," Sunny said sadly. Shining sighed in annoyance.

After Sunset was sure that her friends were safe, she let her sword disappear again. She never had any sword training in her life, so it wouldn't make any sense for her to use it. She just needed her magic.

"Die!" Arachne shot volleys of lightning at Sunset. She decided to attack with magic, too.

She knew that if Sunset could somehow position herself beneath her, the young woman could just scorch her from the softer underside of her body with ease. So the queen had to kill her prey from a distance. She didn't know that it wasn't going to work that way anyway, because the girl had no confidence in close combat with a giant spider.

Sunset shot her own fireballs and eliminated the incoming danger. Her only problem was that she still felt slightly tired from the fight before. She didn't use much magic, but she did use it, so she had not enough for a longer battle. The amber human needed to end it with one shot.

She took a deep breath and concentrated. her entire body glowed in the multicolored outline of her flames.

"No, you don't!" Arachne felt how much magic Sunset started to focus in her next spell and knew it would be the end of her, when that hit. "You need to stand still when you want to use your next ability with precision and power."

She started her own attack and knew she would be faster. After a few seconds the matriarch was already finished with her preparations and aimed directly at Sunset. She could already see the despair of the human, the... smug smile?

Sunset chuckled slyly, "I think you forgot something every phoenix has. Yes, I have to stand still for a short time and I can't escape you on my feet..."

The matriarch didn't let her say any more words and shot a a gleaming beam of white lightning at her prey.

"Sunset!" Shining and Sunny screamed in terror from a safe distance. Their friend wasn't ready! They watched the beam and how it nearly hit. Emphasis on the word ‘nearly’.

Angelic looking phoenix wings appeared upon Sunset's back the moment Arachne started to shoot. They were broad, but graceful, made entirely out of blazing phoenix fire in crimson, gold and a little white on the upper parts of the wings.

She made a few strong flaps with her new appendages, flew out of the way, up into the sky and landed, with much luck, on a white thorn of the spiral. It was her very first try using the wings. Sunset marked that as a brilliant success; a little bit more to the left or right and she would have fallen into the depths to her death. She stood now 15 meters above where she was and looked down at the spider, ready to unleash her full power for the very first time in her life.

Her friends celebrated.

"Finish her, Sunset!" she heard the shouts of Shining Armor.

Arachne looked up, tired. She used her entire mana reservoir for that attack and could only watch helplessly as a giant magic circle appeared in front of Sunset and the redhead unleashed her last attack. It was an inferno. A beam of her enemy's flames with a diameter of 8 meters flew upon her and turned her massive body into less than ash.

The former matriarch's last thought before the attack erased her from existence was how funny the world could be, that something this small, like a human, could be her demise.

Sunset landed ungracefully back on the ground and her wings and armor disappeared instantly, she just wanted to sleep.

"You go, girl! That armor, that sword, those wings, that last attack... that was all levels of incredible!" Shining Armor said in pure awe. He would never say it to anybody, but he was never this jealous before in his life.

"What he said! I think it's time to go," Sunny commented with a smile.

"Wait, before we go, I still have enough mana for two last fireballs," Sunset stated, clearly out of juice.

"And?" Shining enquired.

Instead of answering, Sunset looked in the direction of Sandalwood's head and body, she shot one of her two last projectiles directly onto the pieces of the student's body and let her flames devour them in a few seconds.

Then she looked down the spiral stairs, firing off the last shot, burning any eggs that Arachne had left behind at the bottom.

“Try coming back from that,” were her final words before she lost consciousness. But before she could hit the ground, her body was caught by Shining Armor.

"Wow, that was intense. Let's bring her back to our campsite. We were nearly the entire day in this accursed forest and she needs her sleep." Shining said, exhausted himself.

"I'll follow your lead. The others will never believe me, when I tell them about everything,” Sunny Flare commented in agreement.

After the rescue team was long gone, a circle, made of golden lightning, appeared at the place of the fight. A thunder elemental entered the valley.

All elementals had bodies made of the element they represented, but not all had the same form. Most liked a bipedal shape, but some elementals preferred something different. Made of golden lightning, the same color like the magic circle, an otherworldly entity materialized. It had the body of a centaur.

The centaur was 13 feet tall. Power in pure form shaped the golden body. The upper half was built broad and gave the illusion of strong muscles, the lower half wasn't shaped any less imposing, broad back, strong legs and hooves. Most interesting was the tail.

The tail was shaped like the tail of a horse, but it was made of red, glowing electricity instead of gold, like the rest of the body. Between the hairline of the tail and the back of the body was a gleaming silver ring, which separated the red and golden currents.

The armor of the elemental was, in some places, nearly transparent so it was possible to see the lightning of the chest and the four big legs. There the body changed color from gold to a ghostly bright blue, nowhere else. The original ore could be seen in a dark green shade of jade and emitted sparks of lightning, but lost its coloration when in contact with a thunder elemental's body. Its special task was it to make the lightning at these places much denser, so attacks wouldn't cause much or any damage at all and the change of color was just a byproduct. This ore could only be used by thunder elementals. They named it with that reason Ampharite.

However, ihe entity wore on the head, arms and back of the animalistic half of the body, thick plates of Zyphorium armor in its most common color, a vibrant orange, with symbols in the language of the elementals, Kalamdur.

The helmet covered only the lower half of the head and was formed in a half circle with sharp teeth. Its sharp eyes were silver in color.

He saw the entire fight, as it was his task. He gave this overgrown spider, this Arachne, the ability to use lightning through lightning infused crystals, which she had to devour to use the power of thunder. The acid of her stomach could easily erase the crystal and set the lightning free in her system. It was a very painful process and most creatures would die. That was the reason why that kind of transformation was rarely used at all. But the experiment had to be done. It was his task. The elemental had to say, he never saw such a wasteful use of lightning, the lowly arachnid was unworthy of such a blessing.

Still, he was ordered to watch the fight and to report about ‘the progress of Sunset Shimmer’. Why his lord and master wanted to monitor this fight and why he wanted to know things about this mortal was a mystery to him. He remembered every detail and would report it all, with comments of course. He watched from a safe distance from the higher levels of the helix, so nobody could see him. Only perfection was enough for him. There were reasons why he was one of four members of the Akil’ir Council.

The four thunder elementals who governed each on their own island for their lord. The title was similar to a governor for the mortal races, a being in charge for someone else. The name ‘Akil’ir’ had two meanings.

First, they ruled in their master's name one of the four lesser islands; one island, one Akil’ir.

Second, Akil’ir was their title, too. Not only the description for the council.

The four lesser islands and the main island, where his lord resided as the sovereign ruler, resulted together in the land of the thunder elementals in the Elemental Planes, the Gleaming Islands.

Normally a scout could have done this job, but his master wanted a perfect report. It was just obvious that he would trust solely him with such a delicate situation.

He, Akil’ir Proton, never failed a mission. He always delivered perfection.

Lord Imperion would be pleased with him.

Author's Note

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Well, Shining Armor sure hates mummies, that racist. No heart for the deceased. :ajbemused:

I wanted to keep the number of words in the chapters between at least 8500-15000 at its maximum, or so I hope. Just so that you have a vague idea how long the chapters of this story could get.

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 7 - Pain of Betrayal

Griffonstone, once a thriving city and capital of the United Kingdoms of Gryphonia, now divided between its inhabitants. It was located beyond the Celestial Sea in the east of the USA. The population turned against each other because of everything that happened in the last weeks.

It started slowly with weird looking plants. The local scientists and experts thought that they might be mutated subspecies of already known flora. Nobody questioned it any further.

Then, people went missing. The authorities searched for excuses. At one point they claimed that the disappearances were caused by a smuggler ring or, that people went on vacation or moved away. Those, as all other ‘logical’ explanations came up to avoid a panic of the public. But to no avail.

The government sent small troops of police and military into the mountain chains around Griffonstone to search for the missing. Nobody had returned.

First citizens started to demand answers which couldn't be given. Demonstrations were held. Next, things like computers and cellphones died. It was the famous straw that broke the camel's back.

People in despair, especially the ones who lost friends and family to unsolved circumstances, demanded a new government; a government that would be able to protect them from this invisible foe.

One of these people was the young woman Gilda. Her friends and acquaintances gave her because of her dominant personality, pride, her will to ‘be awesome’ and rough behaviour, the nickname, Gilda, the Gryphon.

She had bright brown skin, a very athletic body, yellow eyes, short white hair that grew more to the front and was a solid 6 feet tall. Gilda wore black sneakers, camo pants and a black t-shirt with a label on the front that said, ‘Be awesome’.

She lost her grandfather, Grandpa Gruff.

One day she wanted to visit his house in the countryside, a little outside of Griffonstone. His door was destroyed and he wasn't there anymore. His house was empty and she didn't find a single hair of him, except blood. A lot of blood. Gilda was sure that he wasn't attacked by some mysterious ‘smuggler ring’. It looked more like the attack of a wild animal. She never found out what happened to him and it devastated her.

Then there was one of two people in her life who she ever called a best friend, Greta. Like Gilda, the girl lost someone, her younger cousin, who just wanted to visit her for a week. The young boy went missing three days after his arrival. He wanted to walk with the dog in the nearby hills and Greta waited the entire day for his return. The dog came running with his leash on in the moment she decided to search for him, but her cousin didn't.

Then the rumors started. People claimed that they saw creatures of mythology or other fantasy beings, then there was the rumor about people who could use ‘magic’, of all ridiculous things.

Gilda was annoyed by so much stupidity. What would come next? Dragons? A troll invasion? Unicorns? Pegasi? Living Gryphons? She decided to ignore all that and prepared herself for the next demonstration. She just waited for Greta. Speaking of the devil, someone knocked on the door and she heard the voice of her friend.

"Gilda! Are you ready to go?" Greta demanded to know.

"Yes, I'm coming! Chill, will ya?" Gilda answered in her rough voice.

She left her house and the two friends walked to the demonstration. In the meantime, they started to catch up with each other.

Her friend Greta had an average body; not too fat, not too trained, but graceful. She was 5'6” in height, with white skin, blue eyes, bright, smooth green hair that reached her lower back and a small nose. Her body screamed, ‘I'm cute, adore me!’, in Gilda's opinion.

Greta wore a grey scarf with a dark yellow, crescent-like half-moon as adornment, knee-length black boots, a red skirt that reached to the higher half of her upper legs and a fancy white blouse, where her arms remained uncovered.

"Did you hear that the Prime Minister wanted to reveal something big today? He announced it in the newspapers that he wanted to show something to the whole city, that would mark the, I quote, 'Beginning of a New Era'," Greta informed thoughtfully.

The tall girl scoffed at that, "Ha! That dweeb and his egghead-brigade are completely useless. People are missing and they do nothing. Some have started to spread rumors about ‘monsters’. Others claimed that they saw other humans who used magic in secret. Seriously, I even saw how neighbors started to attack each other because of different opinions. That's lame and not awesome at all."

It was obvious to her that the politicians tried to save their skin and made up all these rumors as distractions from their stupidity.

"Gilda, we should take that seriously. From what I heard, he really meant what he said." Greta lectured her friend.

"Whatever." the teenager with the yellow eyes replied, annoyed.

Why should she care? This guy, Prime Minister Reginald Silvertalon, was a coward in Gilda's book. She was sure of that.

The entire town populace was assembled in front of the government department of the city on the Guto Plaza, the place with the biggest open area in Griffonstone.

Television, radio, internet, cellphones, everything stopped working a short while ago, Gilda even heard how some claimed that their TV just vanished into thin air right in front of their eyes. In her opinion, those people were likely drunk, on drugs or insane, maybe even all three at once. As if something like that could happen. So all had to gather at the Plaza for the big news.

The Guto Plaza itself was 300m² big, void of anything except a fountain topped by three giant gryphon statues made of marble, in the center of the place. The Plaza was paved with black cobblestone. Seriously, what birdbrain decided to build this place? Someone with claustrophobia? Gilde asked herself that every time she saw this area.

Everything was full of people. Gilda guessed that nearly everyone showed up; demonstrators, supporters of the government, maybe 47,000 citizens. The prime minister and his cabinet stood upon a well-guarded, giant stage. Most of them looked very insecure, themselves. Why had their leader called this meeting with the entire city? She could see it in their eyes, even from her distance.

Gilda's eyesight was always better than the average human.

He finally came forward to the lectern on an extra built base so that everyone could see him; Prime Minister Silvertalon. He was well-built, had a distinctive face, but was a little small in Gilda's opinion, maybe around 5'5”. He seemed to do a lot of sports. His eyes were an unforgiving orange and sharp looking, with his silver eyebrows. It gave the impression that he tried to look into your soul. But it was more illusion than reality. His hair was formed in a chaplet. He wore a half-bald head, the little hair he still had was a dark shade of silver, too, like his eyebrows. His clothes consisted out of a white suit, pants, shirt and shoes, but a red tie.

Gilda was never into fashion, but she was sure that this combination looked stupid, at least in her mind.

Finally, he started his speech.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, my dear citizens! I thank every single one of you for your appearance. I know that the last weeks were hard and trying for everybody and many lost someone who was dear to them. I myself lost my hairdresser three days ago. I thought I was lost and could never be happy again."

He made a little break to hear amused reactions for this poor attempt of a joke. Nobody laughed; not even the most trustworthy supporter found that funny. Gilda nearly forgot that he wasn't just a dweeb, but a boring loser, too. This weirdo was all kinds of awkward. After he coughed slightly in embarrassment, he continued. The girl hoped she wouldn't die of boredom.

"Well, where was I? Ah, yes. I know that we are going through hard times. People are missing and possibilities of communication, like e-mails-"

E-mails?! Great, she could put ‘old fart’ on her list ,too. No one used e-mails nowadays to communicate, first and foremost. There was this new invention; it was called the ‘cell phone’, with apps to log into social media websites like MyStable, HayApp or Tweet. Maybe he never heard of that before. Gilda questioned the intelligence of every voter who gave this guy a voice.

Oh, she missed some parts. Well, nothing important. She could summarize it in a few words.’Lame’, ‘boring’, ‘stupid’ and ‘I don't care’.

At the end of this torture, he finally came to the part of why she attended in the first place, his ‘great reveal’.

"-Now, it is time for the reveal of the reason why I called you to this occasion. I finally found out why humans disappeared from our great city and it was indeed a tragedy, but it was sadly unavoidable."

The dumb dweeb said what?! "You see, the beings, who were responsible for all of our losses had no other choice. Their goddess demanded sacrifices-"

OK, Gilda didn't care much for politics, but she was pretty sure that devil worshipers had not that kind of influence. People already started to leave with shaking heads and she was very close to doing the same. Certainly everyone already looked at him like he was insane or possessed by a demon. Some mouths dropped so low that it could be enough for a world record.

She wondered if the devil worshipers drugged him somehow. Maybe they poisoned his protein drink or gave him strong meds, or threatened to geld him... that wouldn't be a loss for the world.

No, seriously. It really wouldn't. At all.

"-So, in order to please her, the poor souls had to sacrifice other lives. Human lives. I was shocked, too, like you, my fellow citizens. But who are we, that we would deny them?"

“Your voters, you dumbass!” Gilda thought in pure disbelief.

"So, without further disturbances, I make room for the next speaker. The leader of the people who are suffering the wrath of an ancient goddess. Wait, I have to read the name to pronounce it correctly, Zin'tala from the Kozzubari Tribe!"

Well, that didn't sound very promising for Gilda, "Greta, we should book it. I fear that this won't end well for us otherwise," she stated nervously.

"Ye-Yes, you are-what is that thing?!" Greta looked in great shock to the stage. Gilda turned around to see what froze her friend like a statue. OK, maybe she was drugged, too.

A dark purple circle with some strange symbols everywhere appeared above the stage and another one directly beneath it on the ground. From both circles came a thin purple beam of light in either direction. The weird laser beams met each other in the middle and caused a black, egg-shaped portal to appear on the stage. Some strange-looking being stepped out of the portal. Gilda never saw something like that before. The only thing that came to her mind was one word: ‘troll’.

It stood tall with seven feet, was built with a lot of muscle, more than possible on normal humans. A colossus, even under the clothes. It had a dark red skin color, a long hammer nose, sharp sky blue eyes with dark brown eyebrows, two at least 30 cm long curved, black tusks, the face in general was a little pulled in the length, otherwise it looked like the form a human.

Gilda could see that its hands, and probably the feet, too, had only three thick fingers and toes. It had no hair on the head, as far as she could see, and long, pointy ears and long earlobes down to its neck.

It wore a lot of piercings made out of... gold, maybe? Six piercings were on each ear on the top, three in the ear lobes, four on the nose.

Then there was its outfit. It wore bracers around the wrists, but no armor, some purple fabric with symbols she didn't know, same for the simple looking black shoes and robe. She could swear his entire fabric glowed in a black outline.

It wore a freaking blood red human skull on its hand. It looked very real.

It, or more, he started to talk in a deep, loud, commanding, but smooth voice with an strong accent, "Ahhhhh, humans. Welcome. I'm glad you all could make it in time for the upcoming feast. Our goddess will be pleased with her sacrifices. Allow me to introduce myself and my tribe. We are trolls, by the way, for those of you who still didn't find out. Your world has changed and I’m the harbinger of these dire news. I'm Voodoo Prophet Zin'tala from the Kozzubari troll tribe. Let me explain everything a little bit for you to understand what I'm talking about, before we will start the feast."

Trolls?! How was that even possible?! Gilda was more than confused. She always thought of the rumors as stupid fantasy, and now there stood before her the living proof that they were true? She was worried about the implications. So her grandfather was really killed by some strange monster? The girl looked around and saw how every human just listened, frozen in shock, fear or even awe. Greta looked... interested. What?

He spoke like a raconteur, "Many former humans changed in race. The visions of the nature spirits gave us clarity about everything. Some of you remained, but many humans were transformed into something new. Trolls, elves and goblins, from what we saw, but there are many others in the outside world, too. And not only them; plants, animals, nature itself. A lot of things started to adapt to the wishes of the spirits. Forgotten gods began to awaken from their slumber. You humans were blind and didn't see the signs, the power of strong mojo, or as you call it, magic, awoke from its slumber.”

Gilda tried to pull her frozen friend away from the scene, “Greta! Snap out of it!” She was ignored.

Zin’tala continued reverently, “One of these gods, or goddesses, Azijjk, the Bloodmother, granted us power over the shadows, but in exchange she demands sacrifices. Blood. But there are different qualities of your life source. ‘Strong Blood’, ‘Weak Blood’, ‘Determined Blood’, ‘Sinful Blood’ and the highest quality, ‘Pure Blood’. Every kind of blood has its own usefulness and unique properties for our mojo. I fear, that most of you are counting to the ‘Weak Blood’ kind at the moment. Luckily for me, the quality of blood can be changed with...drastic measures and life experiences.” A sinister tone made itself known, “We will play a game in order to discover who is worthy to serve as a grand sacrifice and who will end pitifully: A hunt."

The moment he finished his sentence, Zin'tala heaved his arms, stretched them in a 45 degree angle from his body at chest height, and concentrated, looking maliciously at the now terrified humans. His body started to levitate a little from the ground and his body started to glow in the same dark purple as the portal. Under him appeared a black magic circle. Even his freaking eyes glowed in a purple light.

After a few seconds, black mist came out of his hands and flew around the entire Plaza to its edges, around the entire plaza appeared around 30 big, pitch black panthers out of the fog. They were at least 5'5” tall, had shining, entirely white eyes and stood around the whole place, some distance from each other, but they didn't block the backside of the Plaza. Gilda wondered why.

Oh, look. Their beloved Prime Minister decided to voice his concerns. How nice of him. Obviously, he did that with so much fear in his voice that it wouldn't surprise her if he would wet himself. Maybe he already had.

"S-Sir, Mr. Zi-Zin'tala! You to-told me, that y-you just wa-wanted to talk-" Zin'tala interrupted him.

“God, why can't this guy grow a spine?” Gilda thought in disgust for such cowardice. She was much too awesome to cower in fear. Duh.

"Yes, I did talk to them, didn't I? What is your point?" the prophet asked as if speaking to an inferior waste of space.

"Th-This ‘hunt’ y-you want t-to play, w-well, that is k-kind of not f-fair," Silvertalon commented pathetically

Gilda could only groan and facepalmed, "Wow, this guy deserves a medal for being the greatest dweeb in history..”

Zin'tala laughed madly and looked at the smaller human with amusement, "Not fair? I give them the chance to better their blood quality and to die as an honorable and worthy sacrifice." He looked with disgust at the Prime Minister, "I have to thank you for the diplomats you sent us. They made me stronger and gave me the ability to create portals. Still, you are-"

The troll prophet took out a sharp silver dagger adorned with a blood red diamond in the hilt from one of his pockets. It was solely for nefarious ceremonies and enchanted for the purpose. He used it to stab Silvertalon directly in his heart and looked the dying man in his eyes with unholy glee.

"-unworthy, but your soul can still be of use to me," Zin'tala said with sadistic finality.

The commanding officer of the police snapped out of it and screamed to his fellow men and women. "He killed the Prime Minister! Shoot him!"

Zin'tala just scoffed at this sentiment and formed a protective viridian bubble shield around him. it stopped every single bullet, until nobody had any left. He killed a few of the humans, who attacked him with black lightning. The pained screams terrified the rest of them and they surrendered, fearing for their lives.

Gilda never liked him, but she never wished his death. Now he was murdered like a worthless piece of trash. OK, he was kind of worthless, she had to admit, but not like that.

The Voodoo Prophet pulled his dagger out of the Prime Minister's corpse, looked back at the horrified humans and just said one word to break the silence, "Run."

The effect was immediate, people started to scream in blind panic, trampled over each other to save themselves. They all tried to escape in the only direction possible, where no panther stood; the back of the Plaza.

Gilda took her best friend's hand and pulled her to safety. luckily they already stood more in the back of the crowd. "Greta, we have to go!" Her friend looked like she spaced out, "Greta!"

The girl in question finally heard her friend and looked confusedly at Gilda, "W-What? Oh, yes. You're right. We should... go," she said in a strange tone.

"Snap out of it! I can't be awesome for the both of us when you are falling apart on me!" the white-haired teenager exclaimed in worry.

"S-Sorry, this is just so much to take in, you know?" Greta got wet eyes and sniffed sadly.

Both friends ran for their survival and after one minute, they heard the first screams of the panthers’ victims.

"Follow me. I know where we can hide ourselves," Greta said quickly, now with much more courage in her voice.

Gilda followed her best friend into the mountains, to the edge of a cliff. She had to admit that the view was breathtaking. Beneath them was a giant, dark blue lake, but that wasn't important right now.

"Uh... Greta? What are we doing here?" The taller girl looked questioningly back at her friend and what she saw surprised her, very much.

Gone was Greta's fear or her nervous behaviour. She looked calm and confident and a little... remorseful? But only barely. The girl in question looked into Gilda's eyes with her own. There was a malicious spark in them. Greta started to talk in her usual silky voice, but now with a pitying undertone.

"Oh, poor, poor, Gilda. I didn't want it at first, believe me, but now... we have to part ways, permanently." She took her own ceremony dagger out of the brown bag. She wore that ugly thing the entire time. Gilda already wondered what she had in there. Greta never liked such bags, normally.

"What are you talking about Greta?! Answer me!" She was furious now. Her best friend suddenly threatened her with some weapon? “What in the bloody Tartarus is happening here?! Wait, this dagger looked exactly like the one from this crazy voodoo troll.

...No... no, no, no! That couldn't happen to her! Not again! She already lost a friend, now her second one wanted to kill her? Was that it?

"Ahhhh, my promising child, you finally cornered your prey. I'm proud of you. Now, take her blood and gain strength." The Voodoo Prophet himself came out of the treeline and stood beside her former best friend.

"So, is that it? You'll just kill me?! Could you at least tell me why?!" Gilda wanted to get answers before these two would take her down, but she couldn't think clearly. This betrayal was just too much for her at the moment.

Greta sighed fatefully, "Gilda, I told you how my dog returned alone and without my cousin, right? Well, that wasn't the whole story. I instantly ran beyond the hills into the surrounding mountains and searched for him, like a mad woman, but I never found him.”

If not for her situation, the athlete would feel sorry for the girl, but that wasn’t possible right now, “And that gave you the brilliant idea of presenting Griffonstone on a silver plate to some fanatics?!”

Instead of being angry, Greta looked sincerely happy, “I wanted to return home. Suddenly, many trolls of the Kozzubari surrounded me. I begged for my life and swore that I would help them to please their goddess. They brought me to my new family, to my new father. He promised me that I could be a part of the Kozzubari. I just had to convince the Prime Minister to send diplomats. Well, more like scapegoats, but he didn't know that. With their blood, Zin'tala could create a portal in Griffonstone. The rest, as you know, is history.”

The tall teenager felt sick in the stomach. How far gone was this girl?! Worse, she knew about Greta’s abusive father, but that was no reason to accept a freaking mass murderer as a replacement!

“I have to gain strength through blood and I never met a stronger and braver person than you, Gilda. Blood gives us power, as the Bloodmother commands, and I wanted your blood. I know, you see that as some kind of betrayal to our long friendship, but it's nothing personal, I can assure you," she finished her tale in such a sincere tone that Gilda felt ill.

As Greta ended her explanation, Gilda couldn't understand what she meant. Yes, she heard every word, but why? Why would she betray her like that? After the whole thing with Rainbow Dash, Gilda thought that she at least still could call the girl in front of her a friend. Now she knew better.

"Now listen to me you dweeb. We are friends no more. I don't need any friends. I'm awesome on my own. I hope you rot in Tartarus!" Gilda was livid, sad, fearful for her life, so many emotions at once and she didn't know how to express herself.

Most of all, she was ANGRY.

"I'm sorry Gilda, but know that there was no other way for us." Gilda had her eyes closed for a few seconds, out of despair. Greta saw it, stepped forward and rammed her dagger into her former friend’s gut. The wounded teenager screamed out in pain.

A single tear left Greta’s left eye, "I will never forget our friendship. Farewell, Gilda."

The fatally injured young woman stumbled and fell backwards, a long way down, directly into the water of the lake.

Zin'tala put a hand on his new daughter’s shoulder and looked into her eyes, a warm smile on his face, "Well done, my child. You proved yourself worthy and showed your faith in our goddess and in our ways of life. It was a necessary sacrifice, never forget that. Now, let us return to Jin'Herra and let me show you true strength. You shall forget the name of the weak human 'Greta' and take upon your new name from this point on. I declare you worthy of the position I will bestow you with, my daughter. You shall be known as a member of the Kozzubari Tribe, Blood Priestess Ganzala."

Ganzala kneeled gratefully in front of her new father, “Long live the Kozzubari Tribe. For the Bloodmother.”

Gilda felt cold. Very cold. She felt how the bones of her left leg were broken from the impact on the water; it hit the lake first. She lost both humans in her life she once called ‘best Friends’. Was that how she would die? Murdered and forgotten in some forsaken lake? She felt her consciousness slipping away at a slow rate.

Suddenly she had new energy inside of her, why?

"Do you wish for a second chance in life, young human?" a motherly voice asked.

What was that voice? It sounded like fizzing water, but kind of female. It had a warmth which gave her hope again. Yes, she wanted a second chance. She wouldn't die here and she was ready to do everything necessary, even alone. She didn't care for friendship any more. So she answered the question in her mind.

"So be it. I will accept you as my pupil and you shall learn the ways of the water elementals, I'm sure you will handle every obstacle in your way. Close your eyes. Let my magic inside you and we will meet again later. A new life awaits you, Gilda."

Gilda closed her eyes and let the voice do its work. Then, her vision went white...

Gilda opened her eyes and saw that she rested in a soft bed. It was king sized and looked like some sort of bed for royalty. As she glanced around, she thought that the entire room made the impression like it was made for royalty.

OK, if it would have more furniture than just the bed in it.

Her bed had a soft sky blue blanket. Same with her pillow and a crimson colored bed sheet. The bed itself was made of some kind of unknown wood she never saw before, but it had water drops as decorations.

The room was painted in a royal blue, but it was empty. Why? It confused her.

The door opened and a woman entered. Well, she looked mostly like that. She was tall, 6'6”, but her entire body was made of ocean blue water. She wore sea green leather boots, which reached to her knees and were adorned with some unknown symbols. Same for her vambraces, made of some metal Gilda didn't know. They were colored dark green, glowing mysteriously in an ocean blue outline and with aquamarine adornments, which looked like some kind of kraken.

It was called, Maelphin, an alloy that could only be used and handled by water elementals. It made it possible for them to change the water currents in strength and direction in their near surroundings around 30 meter. Effective to irritate enemies, unfortunate souls, or incredible foolish ones, who wanted to fight an elemental of water in its very domain.

The second ability was that Maelphin could be used to conceive the Ocean's Voice, it meant that the bearer of this ore could communicate with all creatures of the sea and understood them in return.

The ‘woman’ definitely had a female figure and looked like a human, maybe a little broader, but still graceful. She wore nothing on her body except the boots, vambraces and a necklace, which was golden in color and consisted out of a thin golden chain, which held a great aquamarine colored crystal, formed like a raindrop. It glowed mysteriously.

“Well, at least she has no breasts or female private parts,” Gilda thought thankfully to herself. That would be awkward, but lucky for her the female-looking water elemental had none of it.

Gilda's savior had gleaming, emerald green colored eyes. They had a round, kind-looking shape, nothing else that could qualify as a face, like a mouth, eyebrows or a nose, but the eyes gave the girl warmth. That was enough for her.

"Ah, I see my Scion awoke from her slumber. Allow me to introduce myself: I'm Ceremony Mistress Aquaria and I was the one who saved you." There it was again, the fizzing, kind and warm voice.

"Th-Thank you. I-", Gilda stopped talking. Her voice; it sounded still like her own, rough and female, but had now a distortion and it sounded a little like Aquaria's, like some kind of moving water, it was hard to describe for her. But she felt good. Really good. And powerful, too. That feeling was incredible.

"It seems you noticed. As a Scion, you are now something that is known as a half-elemental. In your case, an elemental of water. Additions to your old body and reconstructions needed to be made, you might say. Here, let me help you." Aquaria explained kindly.

The ceremony mistress snapped her fingers and a big turquoise mirror made of water came out of the floor. Now that she looked down... the entire room had no real floor. The ground was made out of calm, turquoise water and she could stand on it.

"Take a look and admire the 'new' Gilda. By the way, you are surely asking yourself how I knew your name. The answer is simple. The moment you accepted my help, I had not only access to your body for the time being, but your mind, too. I could see the memories of your life. But don't worry, I would never judge you. The past is the past for a reason. We have to look forward, form the present and prepare for the future," Aquaria explained to her new Scion.

Gilda did exactly that and looked into the mirror, even though it made uncomfortable to think that somebody she never met before knew everything about her. What she saw surprised her. It wasn't entirely her old body anymore, but she had to admit it; she looked awesome!

Her white hair changed its color to green, her golden eyes were now a dark blue, like deeper water, her skin color had changed to royal blue. She was taller, too. From 6' even to 6'4”. Otherwise, Gilda had still her athletic body. She even saw, or more felt, something on her whole body. Her skin was covered by translucent water. When she listened carefully, she could even hear how the water flowed around her skin, like a second one.

Lastly, she noticed the most obvious change; she wondered how she didn't see it at first. Gilda was walking around in her birthday suit, not a single piece of clothing was on her body.

For the record, just to be clear, Gilda would deny with all her being that she reacted how she did when Aquaria asked her later about it, "Eep!" the embarrassed girl exclaimed girly, her royal blue switched to violet in her face, hiding herself under the blanket in panic.

The Ceremony Mistress remembered at this point what she forgot the whole time, clothes, humans had the urge to wear clothes their entire life, everywhere and nearly all the time.

But that wasn't her fault, in her mind. She never wore any.

"There is no reason to be embarrassed, my pupil. Modesty is no problem or concern here in the Elemental Planes," Aquaria tried to calm her down.

But Gilda wasn't calm, in fact, that didn't make her feel any better at all. Would that mean that she could, in theory, run around naked and every male here would be like, 'Well, whatever.'? That didn’t sit well with her pride either way.

"Elemental Planes? Is that how this nation is called?" the Scion of water enquired in confusion.

Aquaria chuckled in amusement, "I see you have much to learn. But to answer your question, no. You see, 'Elemental Planes' is the name of a set of dimensions. The worlds of the elementals and others, like the human world is called 'Earth' or 'Terra'.”

Gilda nodded sharply, that made sense, kinda.

The water elemental continued smoothly, “There are five different kinds of elementals, fire, water, thunder, earth and air. Every subspecies has its own plane, like you humans have your space. Our domain, the lands of the water elementals, is called the Roaring Oceans. As you will soon witness for yourself, we have many underwater temples, cities and other places unknown to most, but you will learn everything in due time. No rush."

"I see. Well, thank you very much for your help. So I'm your... 'Scion'. What does that mean for me?" the former human queried, sincerely interested.

Aquaria viewed at the reborn teenager with approval, "You will be trained by me in order to gain the abilities which come with your rank. You are already above the lesser water elementals, but I have a question of my own. What does the name 'Rainbow Dash' mean to you? I felt great unrest coming from your very being when you thought about this girl. Let me help you, my Scion."

Gilda saw red, being reminded of the other person in the world who betrayed her, "Pah! She was once one of my best friends, like Greta the traitor. But she sent me away, because I didn't want to play with her pathetic loser friends. This Pinkie Pie girl annoyed me to no end. She always wanted to give me a ‘welcome party' to 'make me feel happy'. I mean, what am I, a hippie? Rainbow's other childhood friend, Fluttersomething, was a doormat. But the most annoying one was this ‘Sunset Shimmer’, I believe was her name.”

A glint of recognition appeared in the water elemental’s eyes, not that the half human noticed it, “She realized quickly that I didn't want to hang out with them and only cared about Rainbow Dash. She gave me such a cliche speech about how I couldn't force her to choose, and how my way of behaving would be 'wrong'. Seriously, this girl made it her personal mission to show me how I should behave. She and Pinkie Pie, but mostly Sunset Shimmer. They angered me to the point where I snapped at them. All of them. And I called them out on their lame dweeb-behaviour.”

Aquaria saw glimpses of her Scion’s memories, but it was politer to keep the conversation going, “I presume this girl didn’t like your opinion about her other friends?”

Gilda snorted in sarcasm, “HA! She found hilarious of course. Dash told me that it was me who should think about her 'errors' and to not come back until I knew better. Like it was my fault that her so called friends didn't see awesomeness, even when it would bite them!"

The teenager felt better. Much better. She could finally talk to someone about everything what happened. She never mentioned it to anybody, she was too pissed off at the time and her pride wouldn’t allow it.

Aquaria hugged Gilda lovingly and whispered into her ear, "Shhhh. Everything will be fine. They won't hurt you anymore. You don't need them any longer. You are my Scion, and I will teach you everything you need to learn about your new abilities. And do you know what will happen when you are ready? You can pay them back. Every single one of them. Sunset Shimmer for taking Rainbow Dash away from you, your best friend, and Rainbow Dash herself, because she abandoned you for some people, she didn't even know for very long.”

A snarl escaped with a bubbly effect out of her throat, “Even Greta?”

Her new teacher shook her head, much to Gilda’s displeasure, “I fear not. The other girl, Greta. She is, I fear, out of our reach. The Bloodmother is no opponent you want to take lightly and the Kozzubari are one of the strongest troll tribes of your world at the moment. It would be foolish to challenge them without a very good plan... or an army."

Yes, Greta could go and die painfully. Gilda wouldn't cry one single tear for her, this traitor. Her, Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer... she would pay them back. She would show those dweebs that she had no need to take lessons from them. But it depended on her new mentor and how good she would be in her training.

"My dear Gilda, you will make your mark. I can feel, you could say, that you are not the only one who is interested in this Sunset Shimmer and the other humans. Let us talk about the future, my Scion. You shall train and be recognized as 'Gilda, the Tideless Wavebreaker'." the ceremony mistress proclaimed proudly.

She didn't see it, but Aquaria had an expression in her eyes that made her look for a few moments like she calculated something in her mind.

But the young Scion of Water had to admit, her new title sounded all kinds of awesome.

Ceremony Mistress Aquaria was pleased with her choice. She found this poor soul in the lake, drowning. Or more, she felt how the girl struggled to survive, so she decided to take her in. She rarely saw such determination in a young mortal. That this girl knew Sunset Shimmer and the others was just a fringe bonus. She was sure that her own mistress, the highest water elemental, Lady Aquaz, would want to know about her new Scion and everything else.

The Lady informed her most trusted water elementals about the mortal, who played an important role somehow in discovering Terra and how this Sunset Shimmer, her friends and others had to be observed for the time being and everything related to them should be reported. She didn't know why they were important, but Aquaria would comply the will of the Unyielding Water.

Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash sat in the living-room and were already bored. Even though Sunset, Shining Armor and Sunny Flare only left like 20 minutes ago.

"I'm bored. What are we going to do now, as long as Sunset is gone?" Rainbow Dash asked slowly.

"Ya could help on th' farm, ya know? Sweet Apple Acres has always somethin' to do," Applejack reasoned.

"AJ, I'm bored, not desperate," Rainbow said, like it was the most obvious answer. The cowgirl gave her friend her best deadpan look. Pinkie giggled.

Twilight entered the room with Spike in her hands and asked the group, "Hey girls! Does anyone want to come with Spike and me? We are going outside for a while to spend some time to, you know, calm down after everything that happened." Twilight tried to look nonchalant, but the others, especially Rarity, with her eye for details, saw that the girl acted suspicious.

"Darling, I think a little fresh air would be absolutely delightful. Let me prepare myself and I will come with you and Spike," Rarity said happily.

She left the room, thoughtful, but otherwise fine.

Pinkie Pie suddenly looked with a serious face at Twilight and surprised the others, “You know, you reaaaallly shouldn't hide how you're feeling in front of your friends," she stated with a pouting face.

"W-What are you talking about?" Twilight was sure that she could have convinced the others that everything was fine, but Pinkie beat her to it.

"Your smile. It's wrong; forced. I will come with you and together we turn that not-quite-frowny face into a smiley face." At the end of her sentence, Pinkie smiled again in her to her friends usually known Pinkieness.

"O-Ok. Thanks, Pinkie Pie. Did you see the others somewhere? Sweet Apple Acres looks so empty," the book-loving girl enquired to switch the topic.

Rainbow groaned once again in boredom and gave all the needed intel with a careless attitude, trying to balance a pencil on her nose while doing so, focusing on it, "Well, the girls from Crystal Crap went to Ponyville. Said something about searching for clues and information.” The pencil nearly rolled from her face, but she held steady enough, “Our former principals and Ms. Cadance are north of Sweet Apple Acres. They said that they wanted to train their magic and look out for further dangers. Trixie and the others are helping all over the place under Big Mac's watch, so that they don't mess up. Moondancer is in the western orchards, in the barn, testing some ideas she got, or something like that.” She moved too much and gravity took its price, much to her chagrin. She looked back at Twilight, “Granny Smith is preparing meals with Applebloom and Scootaloo. But Rarity ordered them for whatever reason to prevent Sweetie Belle from making any food. And lastly, us, we have nothing to do at the moment, but Applejack's idea is lame and I don't feel like taking a walk."

After Rainbow Dash finished, the girls looked at her in wonder, much to Rainbow's confusion, "What"?

"We thought you didn't pay attention, Dashie. Because you looked so bored when everyone split up to go about their own business. I'm sorry," Fluttershy helped her childhood friend out.

Rainbow Dash looked genuinely insulted.

"Hey! Of course I paid attention! I mean, duh! I wouldn't be awesome if I didn't pay attention to the important things in life," the athlete exclaimed smugly.

"Ya kiddin'? Yer the only one of us who had problems in any subject at school, because ya never paid attention to the teachers," Applejack spoke the truth, much to the girl's displeasure.

"As I said, the ‘important’ things in life," Rainbow Dash replied defiantly.

Twilight already wanted to lecture her friend about the importance of knowledge, when Rarity returned in the same attire she wore at Camp Everfree most of the time. Rarity? Wearing the same clothes more than once in a row? Blasphemy!

And the purple-haired girl made her annoyance about exactly this atrocity well known, "We need to go shopping soon! There is no other way around that. I only packed ten different kinds of clothing, because I thought we would just be gone for a week. A lady of class like myself needs her diversity. But this mud outside would ruin most of my outfits and anything else I owned has surely been incinerated by now.” The girl dramatically put a hand on her forehead, “I can try to endure, but something has to be done!"

"Sugarcube, Ah think we have more important things to worry about. Ya know, like the fate of the world?" Applejack said flatly to the fashionista.

"Applejack, darling, the world can only be saved when you have the right attire. Nobody said we can't look fabulous, even in the darkest of times. I mean you saw what the geodes did with us, they gave each of us this gorgeous outfits," Rarity answered with a sincere smile.

"They did look nice," Fluttershy supported shyly, but she had a worried look in her eyes. Well, more so than usual.

"Rarity, you don't have to come with me. You should rest your ankle," Twilight said worriedly.

"Pfft! Darling. You should know by now that little setbacks are not enough to stop me. A lady has to endure and overcome every obstacle and smile in grace. Besides, you heard Mrs. Smith earlier. I should put at least a little pressure on it and slowly walk again. In this way it heals faster and I don't plan to sit down here the entire time and do nothing." Rarity replied with a smug grin.

"Flutters, is everything OK? You look so thoughtful sometimes, ever since we reached the farm" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

"Um... I'm worried about the animals here on Sweet Apple Acres. I saw that they were protected, but something like a manticore or a chimera wouldn't have any problems hurting the poor dears. I wanted to go to the southern border of Sweet Apple Acres and check on the horses. That is, if you don't mind, Applejack," Fluttershy requested hopefully.

"No problem. Ah can lead ya to them. Ah'll just tell Granny Smith," the cowgirl agreed gratefully.

"I will come with you girls. I won't just stay here behind and leave my friends alone. Besides, I think it could be fun to see Sunset's cousins," Rainbow Dash stated impishly. She had a amused smile after the last part.

"Right. Sunset said she was originally a Unicorn. I wonder what she looks like as one?" Twilight mused. Interested.

"I'm sure that they are adorable." Fluttershy had a dreamy and longing look in her eyes, "I asked her once how Ponies in Equestria looked in private, after she told us that she was a Unicorn. They sounded very cute." the pink-haired girl informed.

"Maybe Ah should ask her when she comes back, if she would like a sugar cube." Applejack grinned mischievously. The others had a good laugh at that. Rarity and Fluttershy just giggled.

Luna, Celestia and Cadance searched for anything that could be a potential danger to the others.The former dean more as moral support, but they all made it their duty to protect the students and the Apple Family. In the moment Sunset and her team left, they immediately began to patrol around the north, because the Everfree Forest had its borders there, too.

"We've searched for at least two hours now and everything is quiet. Do you really think we'll find any problems?" Cadance asked with some tension.

"Now you jinxed it. We will find trouble now," Luna answered to her niece in determination and slight glee.

“Luna, if I didn't know you any better, then I would think that you are excited to fight," Celestia poked at her sister's attitude.

"Tia, can you tell me that I'm wrong? Besides, I've always kind of... dreamed about something like that. Don't misunderstand me! I'm really sad about every lost life, but I always used my free time to play online with others in MMORPGs and-" Luna's sister interrupted her.

"Oh, I remember! I had problems finding sleep many nights, because someone had to scream in the night, because she had too much fun. What was the name of your guild again? The 'Nightmare Moon Rangers'?" The older sibling was amused by the name.

Cadance laughed. She heard about her aunt's secret pleasure. Nobody knew about that, save her and Celestia.

"For your information, dearest sister of mine, the Nightmare Moon Rangers counted as one of the most successful guilds of the server and what you are describing as 'screams' were my orders. As the guild master, by the way. We were famous for our attacks on the enemy, deep in the dark of the night. Nobody would see us coming," Luna finished her explanation in a very proud tone.

"But auntie, you do know that your games were fantasy and now most of these things are here in reality, right?" Cadance was worried that her aunt would be overly excitable in some situations, which could lead to danger for her and others.

Celestia put a hand upon the younger woman’s shoulder and smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry Cady. Luna knows that, still, we have so many new things and problems to worry about in the last while. We should let her live out her secret desires for a little bit. It will all be fine in the end."

"Thank you, sister... I think," Luna said, unsure.

They went a little deeper into the Everfree to make sure that no predator would lurk in the shadows, just waiting for easy prey to ambush. Next, they heard a low growl. It sounded like... a lion?

"Be careful!" Celestia shouted in alarm.

She instantly switched into her armor and summoned her sword and shield. Luna did the same with her armor and swords the moment she heard the growl. Cadance hid behind her aunts, afraid.

"These humans have awoken their magic, too. Like those little human females with the weird smelling magic from the last time," a prideful voice stated.

"Yessss, indeed," a second, female voice replied.

"Two of them are the mages I felt," the third voice explained patiently.

Then it came. Or more precisely, they. A being consisting of a black lion, a blue snake and a white dragon, parts of each of those animals were somewhere on the body.

"From last time?” A gasp escaped her shocked throat, “YOU! You are the chimera who killed all these humans from the cave! You slaughtered our bus driver and the two from Camp Everfree!" Luna shouted in fury.

"You act like it should matter to us whom we feed on. You humans are no better than the other animals we devoured." the lion commented, bored.

"You will pay for your crimes! I will-" the lunar knight couldn't finish her threat, because Celestia silenced her little sister with a hand gesture.

"Luna, please. Calm yourself." She looked now at the chimera, specifically the dragon. "What do you have to say? I would like to hear your thoughts. Sunset Shimmer told me a lot about you. She told me that you were responsible that none of the girls died. You let them go. Why?"

"Ah, I remember that name. Tell me, before I answer your question, did she find it? Her magic from this world? I felt something, because I have a natural connection to the element of fire and someone awoke a form of magic connected to this element. Was it her?" the dragon asked curiously, in his deep voice.

"Yes, it was her. She called it 'Phoenix Magic'," Celestia replied calmly.

Luna was annoyed and angry. A part of her wanted to make the chimera pay for the lives it took. Now. Cadance just hoped they would survive.

A baritone chuckle came from the dragon, "Interesting. I knew it was the right decision to let her live, but to answer your own question, I kept her and her friends alive, because I felt something as I saw them, especially Sunset Shimmer. As you already know, the world is changing. New lands were created, old ones destroyed and many humans evolved into something else. When I talked with her, my instincts told me that she would be somehow important for the future. That was all."

Celestia nodded lightly, “I see.”

The dragon locked eyes with the furious Luna, "Your anger is quite understandable, yes. We killed the humans, but they were prey, nothing more. And most of them weren't even able to live with the truth. Many of the humans we preyed upon thought, until their very end, that we were an hallucination. Kill or be killed. That is the cycle of life. Every normal creature knows that. You survive, you escape. You fight, you die, you adapt. Everything is a part of the cycle. But you humans never could accept that.”

The former vice-principal stomped her foot in frustration with the ever so patient being, “We differ from normal animals! Sapience means that you can freely choose. There is no need to follow the primal instincts.”

The dragon shook his head in disappointment, “You are just too prideful to admit it. Sometimes, you are even much worse than an average animal ever could be. No, your kind always had the desire to destroy and to kill everything that opposed its will on this world and to force its rule upon all. What you did was beyond simple dominance. Beyond the concept of an 'apex predator'. You didn't tolerate anything that could be a danger for you. Then, many eons later, some of you showed first signs of remorse for the sins of your ancestors and built 'zoos' and 'national parks', because you saw how the diversity of life was destroyed by supremacists, poachers, the addiction of power and riches or such senseless killing as 'sport'. Your own arrogance would have led to your downfall at one point in history.”

“Sssso much for ssssapience,” the snake lisped mockingly.

The lion snorted in disgust, “You humans can truly have a perverted version of fame and honor in your mind. It must be a challenge to kill a tiger from a high distance with your little ranged weapons. And you even have the arrogance to find pleasure in such things and act like you achieved something great. Pathetic.”

The dragon continued calmly, “That is, in our opinion, the most disturbing habit of your race. That some humans killed, and still kill until this very day, for pleasure. Not because they had to, or for a greater use like, for example, food. The magic of this world infused me with knowledge about the history of your race and this world and at least your first ancestors had the courage to fight other predators head-on. And no, I don't talk about the fights in the arenas of old. I meant when your ancestors had to defend themselves from predators and didn't kill for fun. It is easy to simply take a life from a safe distance, as long as your own life isn't in immediate danger. In progress, many of you lost something very important or never had it to begin with: the respect for life itself. Sometimes you act without thinking. You take everything for granted and rarely think about the long term consequences of your actions.”

Luna began to stammer. She didn’t find words to defend herself or mankind’s honor, “I-I-”

The dragon interrupted her, “Tell me, young one. Do you want to kill us now, because we hunted humans? Or simply because of our nature? Will you make it your task to eliminate every chimera now, because we are too dangerous and need to be put down for good? Do you want to make us extinct? Will it make you sleep better? Will you excuse mindless slaughter with phrases like, 'it was for the greater good'? When sapient races go to war, then it is unfortunate, but it happens. That one side erases the other. But our natural role as a predator is not a sin to earn the death sentence, don't you think?"

Luna was furious at the beginning, but the more the dragon talked, the more she felt ashamed for her earlier wish to kill them. She felt remorse. Tears began to assemble in Luna's eyes.

"Why? It was so simple. You killed humans. I would seek revenge in return, but now I feel like it was me who was in the wrong. Why?" she asked the dragon in despair.

He looked into the distance with a thousand yard stare and replied, "Because we did something most beings wouldn't accept until the end of their existence. We confronted you with the honest truth in its most brutal form. Many hear things they don't want to hear in life, because it wouldn't fit in their worldview. Most would simply close off their senses, ignore the facts, or even fight the truth with all their being.” A final touch decorated his words, “It is your decision and yours alone how you will live with the truth. I can't force it upon you. But I won't tell you to let me do what I want either. When I would try to kill someone you love, then it is your natural right to defend them and to kill me in the process. I would fight back with all I have, of course, but if the end would come, so be it. Just know that the most difficult path of life is not to do what you always want, but to do what is right. What is needed.”

The Lion growled lowly and the snake hissed.

“To mourn the dead is a right of the living, but to abuse their death as an excuse to exterminate other lives, to fulfill nefarious schemes, to go on a killing spree or to satisfy your own bloodlust, is the way of insanity." the dragon finished at last.

The three women were deep in thought to process his words.

Finally, Cadence voiced her opinion, "I think I understand. You are right. We can't change the past. Revenge won't bring back the dead. But sometimes we have still to hunt down those responsible when they are a threat to everything we stand for. Personally, I don't like violence. At all. But as you already explained, I have to adapt and face the world how she is. Not only for myself, but for the ones I care about. Thank you, chimera." Cadance was thankful and at ease now, because the chimera didn't want to eat them.

"Don't worry, we already fed. We wanted to see who the new mages were and because we smelled Sunset Shimmer's scent on you. Oh, before I forget, please tell her that we decided to take on a name. She wanted to know our own, but we never had one. We named ourselves 'Nova'. That was our compromise. The snake didn't like names which sounded 'too male'." the dragon informed them.”

"Yessss. Some names were jusssst torture." The snake looked angrily at the lion.

"What? I still think we should have named ourselves Simba, or Mufasa," the lion replied confused and obvious, the snake and the dragon groaned in great annoyance.

"We will tell her that. We thank you very much, Nova." Celestia said politely with a little smile.

They all heard a loud howl and turned around, facing its direction.

"Did you hear that?" Luna enquired, ready for combat.

"Yes, it came from beyond this treeline. Let's take a look, maybe someone needs our help!" Cadance exclaimed urgently.

"Nova, will you help us?” Silence was the answer. “No-" Celestia and the others turned around to look at the chimera, but they were gone, like they never existed in the first place.

"W-Where are they? I d-didn't hear that they left." the former dean stammered, very confused.

"It doesn't matter. We have to go!" Luna exclaimed seriously. To support her statement, another, this time very angry, howl was heard.

They all nodded their heads and ran, hoping that it wasn't too late.

"Now, please tell me, Darling. How do you feel? And I want the full truth. You can't hide your feelings from me. I must confess that you are a bad liar, my dear." Rarity admitted sheepishly, worried but purposeful. She would help their friend.

Twilight, Spike, Pinkie Pie and Rarity walked together between the treelines, west of Sweet Apple Acres. The young scientist was still shaken by the events. She needed an open ear, but didn't want to bother everyone at once. She was sure that they had their own problems at the moment.

Rarity hinked slightly, still, but the strong bandages around her ankle helped her more than enough. They stabilized her foot and made walking much more pleasant for the young fashionista.

The lavender girl sighed, “I'm still shocked about everything that happened in such a short time. Camp Everfree, the cave, Timber and Gloriosa, Canterlot City, Cinch, Raga... EVERYTHING! The entire world is changing and there's nothing we could do to stop it. People died!. I-I don't know what to do anymore. I can't think. I can't sleep in peace. I don't even know if my parents are still alive or already dead!" Twilight ranted, peeved.

Rarity and Pinkie hugged Twilight tightly and Spike whimpered sadly, rubbing his fur on Twilight's leg to help his owner and friend.

"Cheer up, Twi-Twi. I'm sure your parents are alive. They're probably already searching for you and your mother would clearly be in a super-duper mother bear mode and wouldn't stop until she found you, Shining Armor and Spike, so that you all can be a very happy family again. I will give you a 'Congratulations-Twilight-you-found-your-parents-again' party when that happens, OK?" Pinkie Pie smiled her most radiant smile at her friend.

Twilight couldn’t help herself, but smile, "Pinkie Pie, you always know how to make me laugh again and to see the positive side. How do you do that?" she asked her pink friend, tears in her eyes.

"Tons of sugar. When most people eat too much sugar or only food with sugar they are in danger of getting diabetes eventually. But the diabetes knows not to mess with me, that it can't touch me. I just send it home to his frowny-mcgrumpy-parents. My house doctor once said that my blood is like a medical impossibility and wanted to ask scientists to test me on sugar-antibodies. They laughed at the poor woman, but I mean, duh. Even I know that something like that can't exist," Pinkie Pie explained happily.

Rarity, Twilight and Spike laughed wholeheartedly at this story.

"Oh darling. That was the funniest story I've heard in a long time," the fashionista complimented her friend, chuckling. Then she continued, "You see, Darling? Take my parents for example. Mom and dad are on holiday overseas or somewhere else at the moment. I'm not entirely sure where. They are always vague about their trips, I must confess, I'm very worried about them, but I have Sweetie Belle with me. I have to take care of her. She is my little sister and I can't close myself because of her. The poor dear needs her big sister. In addition, I can't simply run off in blind panic and leave you all alone. We need to stand together and I will give you my full support. I don't even know where I should look for my parents anyway," Rarity said calmly, but somber.

"Oh! Oh! My family is the same. My dad is totally into tradition, but he's the nicest dad of all the nicest dad's in the history of dadness. My mother is great, too. And then there is my little sister Marble. She and Fluttershy could be the bestest of friends and battle each other in a 'Who-can-be-shyer-contest'. My older sister, Limestone... she and Rainbow Dash are both very competitive. But she has some anger issues. Lastly, I have my bestest, biggest sister, Maud. She is the riot of every party aaaand very overprotective of her family. There was this one time in my 3rd class, when some meanie stole my cupcake. Maud talked with him, he never came near me again, ever.” A fond smile graced her features, “My sisters and I... we have our very own tradition. it makes me always nervouscited! The 'Pie Sisters' Swap Day'. We even came up with a song! The 'Pie Sisters' Swap Day Song'.”

"Awwww." Twilight and Rarity found this tradition simply adorable. Spike muttered something about ‘girly stuff’, but nobody heard his displeasure.

They walked near a part of the forest where many unknown plants were growing. Twilight was fascinated.

"Here must be some of the new flora I heard about. Let us investigate its secrets!" The girl was excited at the prospect to learn something new.

They made their way to some beautiful looking flowers, which looked like lilies, but instead of a normal color, they gleamed in a hypnotizing orange that had sparks of magi around it.

"They look simply divine! This color, the sparks... truly magnificent," Rarity said, awed.

The group of friends ignored the thick vines which assembled themselves closer around them. The moment Twilight tried to pick a flower, the vines came to life and moved. They shot out of the earth in great length and surrounded them. Rarity, Spike and Twilight were very worried and started to panic.

But not Pinkie Pie. The girl looked with a very serious and concentrated expression on her face. First at her fearful friends, then to the tendrils, back to her friends, back to the tendrils for a last time. Next, she took a pair of black sunglasses out of her puffy hair, put them on and announced in a creepy, deep voice, "I saw enough hen-" Pinkie couldn't finish one of the most overused internet memes she could find, because the plants started to attack her and her friends.

The fight had started.

Fluttershy, with the help of Applejack and Rainbow Dash, fed the horses. The athlete jokingly asked her blond friend if she wanted to set up one of her horses with Sunset. The cowgirl just hit the rainbow-haired prankster on the shoulder and Fluttershy couldn't help but blush a deep red at the unwanted images in her head.

"I'm just happy that every animal seems to be OK. I was worried that they were in danger. Thank you for helping me, girls, but you didn't have to if you don't want to. I would have understood. I mean, if you don't mind me saying." Fluttershy didn't want to make her friends feel forced to help her.

"It's fine, Fluttershy. Really, we do that for you, because you're our friend. No need to apologize." Rainbow Dash tried to calm down the shy girl.

"Sugarcube, Ah thank ya for yer help. T'be honest, Ah was worried for them, too. But Ah didn't want to panic too much for probably nothin'," Applejack thanked her friend.

"Yeah, but the magic did its fair share of 'changing' here. I'm sure the last time we were here this part of the farm had only wide fields for the horses. Now we have here a big bog, which reaches by the way over the south of your lands now." Rainbow stated, worried.

"Ah know, but we can't do anythin' about it. Granny even said that the bog was small at first, but it spread everywhere. Ah fear fer th' farm," Applejack replied gloomily.

"Don't worry, AJ. I'm sure it will be alright... somehow. Now, let's go back to the house and enjoy good homemade food and cider," Rainbow said, her stomach supported her in her statement.

The girls wanted to leave the horse stable, but they suddenly heard the panicked nickers of the horses.

"Wh-What was th-that?" Fluttershy queried nervously.

"Ah don't know, but none o' them varmints're takin' our horses!" Applejack sprinted outside. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy followed slightly behind.

What they saw shocked them. Two giant crocodiles made from rock and crystal. Both the same size, with a length of 13-15 meters from the head to the end of the tail. And they were massive, because of the amount of muscle, stone and crystal, but they had different coloration. They were Basilisks and both had sharp, yellow glowing eyes, no irises and a very dangerous mouth with many long, sharp teeth made of diamond and a powerful jaw to boot.

One of them had yellow crystals on its front legs and blue crystals on its hind legs, the entire back from the neck to the start of the tail was protected by many sharp, grey thorns of stone. It looked like granite to the girls. The body itself was protected by shifted, small, dark green flagstones.

The second one had green crystals on its hind legs and orange crystals on its front legs. It had no thorns on the back, but thick segments of blue colored stone, sapphire, and the rest of the body was protected by red corundum.

The red basilisk moved faster than expected with its size and bit a horse. It transformed to stone at a fascinatingly slow rate. After the process was finally over, the entire animal was a blue statue. Immediately, the two beasts devoured its victim and looked hungrily at not only the horses, but the humans, too.

The three friends were disturbed by the show they just witnessed. Rainbow Dash, in all her awesomeness and detailed experience in being the most adventurous girl of their group of friends, summarized the feelings and thoughts of every human who had the honor of seeing that.

In fact, she nailed it, "Oh, COME ON!"

Author's Note

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Nova is like the three musketeers all in one. Only with more scales and fur... and maybe teeth.

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 8 - Fate of Camp Everfree

Moondancer always saw herself as a levelheaded, intelligent woman of science... then magic happened.

It was frustrating for her, because it changed many rules which were previously facts. Science. Clear knowledge. She could sit here in this barn and nothing would come to her mind.

And then there were the fire elementals.

Where did they come from? Where did they go? How was it even possible, that this elementals could even exist?! Oh wait, she knew the answer, magic. Where was their world and their country? It couldn't be Equestria. Sunset would have known, so she firmly believed. But where else? Well, they were fire elementals. Maybe their country was called something like ‘Flamelands’ or ‘Vulcano Planes’ or just the "Fire Nation".

"The world of man was safe, living without worries, but then, one day, the Fire Nation and its inhabitants attacked," Moondancer muttered to herself. Yes, she liked it. Future historians should write that down.

One of their biggest problems still was that magic made communication very limited. She tried to rebuild two walkie-talkies with different spare parts. She got everything from this girl named Bon-Bon. It was strange. Why should a girl like her have so much technical equipment and the necessary spare parts for everything? Moondancer felt like she was in a bad spy movie. Well, at least she got everything for free, because the devices went dead.

No matter what she tried in the last hours, nothing seemed to work. Magic seemed to eliminate a successful walkie-talkie, but why? Maybe it would accept devices which would be powered by magic? It was worth a try, but there was one little, tiny, maybe-significant problem... she had no magic of her own that she could use in an active way. Maybe Moondancer had to ask Sunset Shimmer, Ms. Celestia or Ms. Luna for their help, but the latter two had their own magic for only a very short time and had no prior knowledge, unlike the amber teenager, if she understood Twilight correct.

But what then? It was very frustrating, indeed.

Besides, there was still one tiny part of her that simply refused to believe in magic, no matter how much proof existed. Normally, she would adapt her worldview after the facts, but magic just changed or destroyed whatever it saw fit to. Had it even any rules? She made a mental note to ask Sunset Shimmer about it.

Moondancer laughed in her mind and scolded herself for those stubborn thoughts. She was acting like a little child. Who was she to denounce magic as mere fantasy when so many died from its changes? That would be disrespectful to the victims, right?

No. She had to pull herself together. To help the others, even if only a little. The former Crystal Prep student really wished she could use magic now. Maybe she would be able to connect magic and technology, or perhaps she could invent magic based devices, which would be helpful.

Moondancer just wished to create something to help. Was that so wrong?

She started trembling and had to kneel down from the sudden invasion of her brain. Her body started to glow in a white light. Basic knowledge about her own power and its connections to other materials flooded her mind.

Then there was a kind female voice in her head, but it said only two words, "Constructor Magic."

Well, now she really needed help. She wouldn't try to use magic without any form of backup knowledge from a good, recommended and recognized book. Or someone who would know its mechanisms. The teenager rarely trusted knowledge she couldn't verify somehow. A source had to confirm this sudden knowledge in her head. She wouldn't trust it without scientific proof or whatever was the magical equivalent. Moondancer just hoped that the fiery magician would come back quickly.

Sour Sweet, Indigo Zap, Lemon Zest and Sugarcoat finally reached Ponyville. They had to ask Moondancer for her car, but the girl didn't want to part with her vehicle without a discussion. They managed to convince her after 30 minutes and many promises to bring her car back in one piece. The glasses-wearing teenager was very reluctant about this idea, but Sugarcoat surprised them with skill in driving, without having her own license. She just said that her butler took her many times to the training ground for many driving lessons. It was thought of as training before she would start at the driving school.

The reason for their visit to the small town was that they wanted to search for information. Someone had to know something about the entire situation. They were tired of being clueless. Sunset told them about the changes of humans to members of new races, but until now they never met anything intelligent on two legs except humans... and beings who weren't made out of living flames. It was time to investigate if someone saw something out of the norm or what could count as such, given the situation.

The Shadowbolts went to the center of the market and looked around themselves. They had a purpose and wouldn't leave this place empty-handed. The small town was silent. Too silent. Recent events were kept in the back of the mind.

"Did Moondancer say something about the 'strange behaviour of the citizens' and I missed it? Because something is seriously off here," Indigo Zap commented, slightly irritated.

"I'm positive the inhabitants of Ponyville know something. And if they keep secrets from us, we'll make them talk!" Sour Sweet stated.

They looked around for awhile, but nobody seemed to acknowledge their presence. It creeped them out.

"I second that thought. Canterlot City was literally erased and those people go about their everyday business like nothing happened. They have to know something. You can't tell me that they didn't encounter refugees, mythical animals or anything else that would be considered as 'not normal'," Sugarcoat supported her athletic friend.

"Ha! I'm sure Moony just didn't pay attention to her surroundings, like always, when she is on one of her research missions!" Lemon Zest exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Aren't you students of Crystal Prep? I saw how you participated at the Friendship Games," a female voice said from behind.

The girls turned around and Indigo stepped in the front, asking in an aggressive tone, "Who wants to know?"

A woman with a green with a floral print skirt, brown knee-length boots, a white shirt, bright green eyes, fuchsia colored hair and pink skin stood in front of them.

"Oh! Where are my manners? My name is Ms. Cheerilee. I am... was a teacher at Canterlot High School. Please follow me. We have many things to discuss. You act much too suspicious around here. We have to talk in private." She signaled them to follow her and left.

"Stranger-Danger," Lemon whispered amusedly to her friends. Indigo laughed.

The rest of the girls looked at each other, questioningly.

"We should follow her. This Cheerilee seems to know something," Sugarcoat said to her fellow Shadowbolts. Everybody nodded in agreement and followed the mysterious woman in caution and curiosity.

Said former teacher led them to the southern outskirts of Ponyville, dangerously close to the Everfree Forest. There stood a lonely little wooden shop, decorated with masks on the walls outside. They were in many sizes and colors, some looked like animals. It gave the girls a vibe of slight uneasiness, but the wood was a beautiful ebony and it imitated the touch of the lands of Zebrica for the friends. This shop it could be seen as a hut, too. Also on the front was an inscription in finely written golden letters, ‘Zecora's Herb Paradise’.

"Ms. Cheerilee, it's cool that you want to talk with us and all, but do you even know what happened in Canterlot?" Lemon Zest inquired out of the blue, her arms crossed behind her neck in boredom.

Cheerilee stopped in front of the door and turned around to face the girls, a sorrowful look on her face, "I saw it myself. Canterlot City, or more like its burning remains. I worked in CHS as a teacher, but I never lived there. Ponyville is my home and it was summer break, so I was here when it happened." Tears filled her eyes.

"When the first refugees came to Ponyville, full of terror and fear, and explained what those... things did to the town, I couldn't believe it. I needed proof. So I drove to the borders of the city and saw that the tales were true. I feared that everyone had died in the attack, but you are here, which gives me hope that more known faces survived. You saw what happened to Twilight Sparkle at the Friendship Games, but we'd already had two magical incidents before that at CHS. I know about magic. So, please. Tell me the truth girls. What happened? I saw and heard some very strange things and need them confirmed by a reliable source," Cheerilee pleaded sincerely.

"Why should we tru-" Indigo Zap couldn't finish, because Sugarcoat already agreed.

"Alright," the white-haired girl simply said.

"Wait! Sugarcoat, why should we trust her? Maybe she is lying to us. Maybe she works for the bad guys." Lemon asked in a rare serious tone.

"Trust me in this girls. I'm always told that I'm extremely blunt, but I'm honest, too. I can kind of feel it when someone wants to lie to my face. Besides, the pained and saddened look in her eyes is genuine," Sugarcoat answered neutrally. The others accepted it, with some trepidation.

After they made sure that nobody was near them, Sugarcoat started to give Cheerilee, in a low voice, a short summary of some events which were related to the question at hand.

She told the woman what these things were, why they most likely attacked, about the confrontation with Commander Raga, Cinch, their knowledge about the situation of the world until now. Then about the natural magic inside every being and that some could awaken it, with whom they escaped to safety at Sweet Apple Acres and finally why they were in Ponyville at the moment. Cheerilee never interrupted the girl and listened intently.

During the explanation, a wide range of emotions were seen on the teacher's face. Anger, horror, despair, hope and many more. Cheerilee thought about the unbelievable tale she just received and gave the students a sad smile at the end.

"I'm so sorry that you all had to witness such things, but it certainly supports the claims of a dear friend of mine. As you already mentioned, many humans were transformed into new races. I don't know about any others yet, but I can confirm the existence of trolls," she said with a slight smile.

The Shadowbolts just looked confused.

They entered the hut and, like outside, the inner building was decorated with masks, little statues, pictures, paintings and carpets in varied colorations. All of it presumably originated from Zebrica. And of course, there were the herbs. Lots of different herbs, many of them unknown to the girls. They were kept safe in different cases made of wood or glass.

"Please wait here a few moments. There is someone you should meet. I'm sure she has some of the information you seek." Cheerilee stepped through a door in the back of the room and left the teenagers alone.

"What do you think girls? Isn't that decoration just marvelous? It's a trap!" Sour Sweet exclaimed.

"Chill, dudette. I don't think we are in any immediate danger here. It looks very homey to me," Lemon Zest voiced her opinion with a bright grin.

"If she and her mysterious friend are planning anything fishy I will teach them a lesson," Indigo Zap announced confidently.

"Don't worry, young one. We mean you no harm, see? The spirits gave me clarity and they judged you as trustworthy." This new female voice was unknown to the girls, it had a strong Zebrican accent, but was soft, a little melodic and had a motherly touch. They turned to the direction of the voice.

"So you are... Zecora?" Sugarcoat was stunned. Her friends didn't fare better.

Before them stood definitely... something. This ‘Zecora’ was tall, at least 6'5”. She had sienna brown colored skin, two 20 cm, black, strong, curved tusks. She had her hair made in the form of an alternating black and white mohawk, blue eyes and wore five golden rings around her neck, her left leg around the thigh and one big golden earring per side. They saw that this being had three thick fingers, instead of five like a human, was quite athletic and well-built. She had a little more muscle than the average female humans on herself, but it still took nothing from her feminine and quite exotic charm. She had a broad but still delicate looking nose, pointy ears and her earlobes reached to the start of her neck, but they still had an appearance that... fit this Zecora, somehow. The face in general was not round, but slightly elongated in its form.

She wore simple dark brown leather boots and knee-length, white and black striped shorts, like a zebra's fur and a dark brown shirt with a strange symbol in its center, a vortical black sun.

"This is Zecora. She was once a normal human and a little while ago she became a troll. Zecora, these are the girls I told you about," Cheerilee introduced calmly.

"It is a pleasure to meet some humans aside from Cheerilee; no offense, my dear friend. But no possibilities to communicate with others can be rather tiring for the nerves," the stranger said in an apologetic tone.

"No problem. I know you have to be careful and hide yourself here. After the events of Canterlot City most people are on the lookout for everything 'not-human' and certainly not for a friendly talk. It can be quite dangerous nowadays," the former teacher replied, worried about her friend's wellbeing.

"Ms. Cheerilee said that you would help us to search for more information. How could you do that?" Sugarcoat demanded to know in her monotone voice.

"My young friend, the truth hides its face behind the shadow of deceit. Not everything is how it seems. Tell me, did you see the behaviour of the citizens of Ponyville? Wasn't it strange to you?" Zecora said patiently in a teacher-like voice.

"Of course," Indigo answered instead, "They acted really weird, like nothing special happened in the last while. They should at least be worried about the changes, if not terrified about the fate of Canterlot City," the sportswoman agreed.

"My transformation into a troll happened fast and without warning, but it gave me new abilities. Deeper connections to the spirits of the beyond. They whisper secrets when I ask the right questions, at least sometimes." Zecora closed her eyes briefly, silence.

"So you are... haunted or something? That sounds like you need an exorcist," Lemon started with a silly grin.

Sugarcoat nudged her friend with her elbow, nervous that the girl may have angered the tall woman by accident. Her worries were luckily unfounded.

Their host chuckled, “Ah, you misunderstand me. I can't speak with the deceased, but with the spirits of nature in its whole. I am a shaman. The spirits of fire, earth, water and wind. There is a fifth element, but we shamans have no connection to it; thunder. From what I understood it is like this, because thunder doesn't count as a fundamental element like the other four for us trolls. Sometimes I meditate and they answer me. Like now, the spirits are afraid. An unholy presence made itself a home in the Everfree Forest. It is responsible for the strange behaviour of the humans around here... and more," Zecora explained warningly.

"Well, that doesn't sound so good. Maybe we should go back and ask one of the others for help, who actually can use magic," Indigo said nervously.

A kind and warm smile adorned the troll’s features, "In my meditation, the spirits and my mojo, or as you call it, magic, showed me four faces. Four young women, who would be able to help me with my personal quest. I didn't receive names, but you are the ones I seek. I asked Cheerilee to help me to look around. If she would find four suspicious or interesting-looking young souls. I expected that the spirits would show me help in the form of adults, but I trust their judgment without question."

The girls looked confused. Why would she trust them?

But before they could ask, Cheerilee said only in an annoyed tone, "It is a cultural thing. Don't question it. I tried... believe me."

Zecora looked amused at the fuchsia-haired woman before she continued, "I created with my abilities, herbs and other ingredients totems which should protect Ponyville from harm. But more and more humans fell under its dangerous influence, because the dark presence collected enough power to overcome my wards. We need to stop this incoming threat or the poor souls of this place will be lost."

A pregnant silence ruled the room.

"...!" Cheerilee gasped and her eyes widened. She looked very nervous,

Sour Sweet noticed it, "What's wrong, Ms. Cheerilee? Do you remembered anything important?"

The others looked confused, Zecora nodded sagely, indicating to Cheerilee that she should continue.

"Well it was strange... at the beginning. People reacted how you would expect after hearing, that an entire town was destroyed and a great portion of its inhabitants lost their lives. Many panicked and left Ponyville as fast as they could, because it was potentially a next target, being so close to Canterlot City.”

Sugarcoat voiced her agreement, “Yes, that is the most logical response to what happened.”

“But then... they came back after a very short time and were... changed. They acted normally again, like the news of Canterlot never happened. To be honest, I was terrified by their behaviour. I asked some of them why they returned so suddenly and everyone said that they didn't know what I was talking about,” she recounted fearfully.

The girls glanced at each other in great uncertainty.

A thought entered the woman’s mind, “It reminded me a little bit of the Battle of the Bands we had half a year ago. There were three girls, the Dazzlings. They were actual Sirens, from what Principal Celestia once told the staff of teachers after most of us demanded an explanation why we acted so violently to this time. They could control emotions with magic and force you to act in a much more aggressive way with their voices, so that they could feed on the resulting negative energy. Sunset Shimmer told the principal about everything, after she demanded that the girl should explain what happened. Well, you saw the Friendship Games yourself, so you know about the whole magic business, too. But that is beside the point. Excuse my rambling.”

“Are you kidding?! Real Sirens? How awesome is that?!” Lemon Zest shouted gleefully. She was always a fan of Greek mythology. A secret hobby of hers.

The educator smiled awkwardly, “Out of fear, I came to ask Zecora for help, because she always had good and very helpful advice for me ever since we met each other." The duo smiled at each other in understanding, "So I was quite shocked to see her like this. But only at first. Because of all the crazy things at the school I gave her a chance to explain herself and she told me about her 'new culture'. She told me many things, which supported your story earlier.”

Zecora took over, “Indeed, I heard about the sightings and rumors of creatures you would only know from mythology from my dear friend here and I can surely confirm that they are true. I saw something what you would call a timberwolf, if I'm correct, and a manticore very briefly, too. Luckily, they lurked outside of the town and didn't attack until now. I think that is, because the sheer number of humans and size of the city intimidated them enough to not attack directly. Yet.”

Cheerilee spoke once more, “So I agreed to look out for these four mysterious girls and saw how you ran around in Ponyville like you searched for something important. And I was right in the end.” A pleading glint was in her eyes, ”Please, help her. Zecora has never been wrong in the entire time we've been friends with each other. This threat is a danger for us all and it gains more and more strength, because more people fell under its control in recent times. Many simply refused to leave Ponyville and when I asked the only answer was: 'I can't. Ponyville is my home. I have to stay.' It was said without emotion, like a programmed message, or something committed to memory from a piece of paper."

After Cheerilee was finished, Indigo Zap declared for all of them, "We're in. Show us what you got, Ms. Zecora." Her friends nodded in support.

"Just 'Zecora' is fine. I was never a person for formality. Let me show you how we may find out our next step." She led the others to the room in the back, where Cheerilee went earlier.

The room itself wasn't much to speak of. The walls were made of black wood and the ground, humus, to their surprise, was painted with a purple glowing circle. It had a diameter of three meters and was filled with many foreign symbols. Around the circle were four dark brown totems, positioned in the form of a square. They were decorated like troll faces. All had the same facial expression of calmness. From the ceiling hanged decorations which looked like white bones in different formations, and they gave the impression of a very disturbing art. The same unknown symbols were on them.

"Are those bones from animals?" Lemon asked with a little green color in her face.

"Of course. I can create spells and rare talismans with a lot of animal bones. Sometimes I can even predict your future from them, if you desire. But you shouldn't bring me a black cat. That would mean seven years misfortune for you. No refunds," Zecora replied smugly.

The girls looked like they were shortly before the point of running for the hills. Cheerilee saved the day.

"Oh for goodness' sake! Zecora, your advice is good, but I swear, your newly discovered troll humor is hardly droll humor. Don't worry girls, she was just joking," the woman tried to calm them down.

"I'm sorry, my dear human friends, but I couldn't resist. To answer your question in honesty though, these 'bones' are made of enchanted, hardened white clay from my homeland. They repel any magical attack on my mind and hold off unwanted guests, like most wild animals from this place. I gave one little accessory to Cheerilee, so she would be hidden from dark intentions as well."

In support of the claim, Cheerilee showed them a little clay figurine she pulled out of her pocket. It looked like a decorated white monkey.

"What are these symbols on the clay and the totally-not-creepy glowing circle?" Lemon Zest asked in honest interest.

"These symbols are powerful mojo of us trolls. They have their origin from our language, Tro'ju, by name. They let me do some helpful things, like safeguard the mind from sinister spells or communicate with the spirits. As already mentioned, I am what we trolls call a 'shaman'. I'm new at this, but the basic knowledge the spirits granted me, gave me enough hints to work with it and I learned fast enough to create the totems and everything you see here in a short time." Zecora looked visibly proud.

The Shadowbolts were in awe. Cheerilee rolled her eyes.

"Now, let us call the spirits," the shaman said, suddenly all business.

Zecora positioned herself in the circle and sat down on her heels, she faced the girls and Cheerilee in front of the door, calm and in concentration. She spoke in a tongue the others didn't understand. It had to be Tro'ju, or so they thought.

"Oh Spirits of this world, grant me insight,

“I plead for thy guidance, send aid for my plight,

“Spirits of Fire, illuminate my path,

“Spirits of Water, purify my senses,

“Spirits of Wind, blow away the illusions of my enemies,

“Spirits of Earth, let me stand firm in times of uncertainty,

“Oh, show me what is my task."

The circle under Zecora started to illuminate in a much stronger purple, her eyes radiated in a brilliant white and one by one the formerly inactive totems were powered by mojo. The eyes of every totem began to glow in the color of its representative element and out of their wooden, slightly open troll mouths came fog in the same coloration.

The totem in the right upper corner behind Zecora reacted first. Its eyes took on a vibrant brown color, thick fog left its mouth.

The Terra Totem.

Second, the artifact on the left upper corner. Sky blue eyes and continuing emissions, like a calm breeze.

The Aero Totem.

Next, the anterior right totem. Blazing red eyes and a breath like the hottest fire.

The Ember Totem.

Finally, the one on the anterior left position. Dark blue in both cases, with the appearance of fluent water.

The Aqua Totem.

After what seemed like only two minutes for the others, the totems returned to their inactive state. Zecora's eyes took their blue color once more and the glow of the circle dropped to its former intensity.

Sugarcoat broke the meaningful silence and inquired with sheer interest and awe. The others could hear it in her voice; "What did you see?"

Zecora looked into the eyes of everyone present. They were filled with determination, "I saw our next destination. We are going to Camp Everfree."

.

Zecora, the four remaining Shadowbolts and Cheerilee took the former teacher's car to reach their destination faster. The shaman's friend brought her vehicle to the back of the hut and Zecora got in, with slight problems because of her size; Zecora was lucky that Cheerilee had a very long car and they drove off. They used streets with very low traffic to avoid unnecessary attention.

Luckily for them ever since the whole fiasco started cars were a rare sight. Not because cars didn't work anymore, but because most gas stations were empty already. Some places were forsaken and abandoned after everything started and these kinds of businesses counted to them. What that meant to everyone: ‘First come, first serve’. The owners of the vehicles which still had fuel rarely used them, to spare the remainder.

At first they wanted to walk to the Camp. It would have been a two hour trip, but Cheerilee insisted to help them somehow, at least.

Zecora's hut/shop was filled with many important things and she didn't want to risk that someone broke in and stole essential materials. So she asked Cheerilee to stay behind after she brought them to their destination, close the shop, and to wait inside until everything was over. It was, at the moment, the safest building in Ponyville.

The woman agreed with slight annoyance, but she knew that it was the only way. She was no fighter at all. Zecora once tried to teach Cheerilee the traditional art of fighting with a rod. it ended with a swollen blue eye and an eyepatch for one week.

She herself brought her own weapon for the case of close combat.

It was an ebony colored staff, decorated on both of its ends with titanium-made globes the size of a fist. The staff itself was two meters long and well balanced for its user, especially since the former human transformed into a troll, because of her higher strength and agility. Over the whole weapon were different kinds of runes and symbols in Tro'ju, even on the globes. All in a light blue color, to make the rod more resistant and to fortify the damage it could cause.

The shaman gave each of the girls a little bracelet made of the white clay, with enchantments written in her new native language. Now they wouldn't be affected by attacks on the mind and soul, at least. The body... wouldn't be so lucky.

Just in case, before they left, Zecora took some potent tonics with her that she made beforehand, created with some mojo and herbs. They were kept in small test tubes in a little green leather bag, which rested besides her.

Soon they arrived.

"That is close enough, my friend. We'll walk the rest of the way on foot. We can't risk getting detected already," Zecora said to Cheerilee.

The young woman stopped her car and faced the others, "Please be careful, girls. I know Zecora. She can hold her own. But you have no magic at your disposal like the principals and Sunset Shimmer. Listen to her and furthermore-"

Sour Sweet had enough and tried to stop the woman from channeling her inner pedagogue any further, "Ms. Cheerilee, please have some faith in us. I know you were a teacher at CHS, but we know what we're doing. We're no little children anymore!"

"I know, but so much is in jeopardy. Zecora, please protect them and be safe," Cheerilee said in a pleading voice.

"I will do my best. We all will. Let us begin," Zecora ordered their group.

The Shadowbolts left the car, Zecora gave Lemon Zest her bag with the tonics and asked her to keep it safe for emergencies. She would try to protect them to the best of her abilities and couldn't focus on the bag, too. Cheerilee wished them luck and returned to Zecora's shop.

They wandered around the camp's main road to reach it, in order to avoid unwanted contact with... well, whatever posed a threat here. The group tried to reach Camp Everfree from the north side, where the campers would live.

Zecora signaled them to stop, "You girls told me of everything your other friends described to you from this place when they had their field trip to this camp, right?" The five former students nodded their heads in unison. "Then this shouldn't be here." She pointed in the direction of a big sign, it looked new, so it was only recently put there.

On a big white sign was written in red letters:

WARNING!!!

This land is private property, the access is only permitted for authorized staff. Trespassers will face dire consequences in cases of noncompliance.

Signed, Filthy Rich, Chairman and Owner of the Rich Company

"Do I have something wrong with my eyes? Wasn't that man the person who wanted to close Camp Everfree and planned to build a spa resort in its place? I thought Twilight and her friends saved it with their Crystal Gala Fundraiser from his greedy hands?" Indigo Zap mentioned utterly confused.

"Maybe he bought this land after all. He waited for the right moment and used the opportunity, when the camp directors were gone. What a sick monster," Sour Sweet added, disgusted.

“Something isn't right here, why should he buy these lands at a time like this anyway? I'm sure he, like everyone else, knows already about the changes everywhere, especially a big businessman like Filthy Rich. He's one of the most famous persons around here because of his real estate empire. He has to know the facts already," Sugarcoat stated, irritated.

"I fear this man plays a part in everything. He is in alliance with the dark presence," Zecora replied ominously.

"That can't be right. Filthy Rich may be a greedy salesman, but he's no murdering lunatic... right?" Lemon queried in an unsure tone.

"There is just one way to find out. I will lead in front, follow me very closely and be quiet," Zecora urged.

The humans and the troll wandered to the last treeline before they would be in the open and see the camp site. They peeked through their natural-made hideout of bushes and leaves... only to gape at the presented sight in astonishment, fear and slight interest.

It didn't look really like the ‘Camp Everfree’ the others described, not at all. The entire earth of the camp's ground was dead, black and littered with dark orange glowing fissures, the buildings in ruins for the most part. Above all CHS’ camp gift, the dock itself, was hit the worst. It was changed from wood to some kind of strange black crystal, but the most disturbing thing was the gigantic dark yellow glowing, with creepy black spots covered portal. It looked like a door, at least 12 meter tall and five meters wide.

The other details couldn't be overlooked either.

On the former courtyard and to the left and right of the modified dock were groups of bipedal beings in simple black cloaks, faces hidden. The cloaks itself had little black shoulder pads of some spiked metal.

The two, beneath the unknown people existing, magic circles at the dock were colored in a sickly green and the one in front of a destroyed pavilion in ice blue, the symbols of these constructions alone made the girls feeling ill in the stomach.

The spellcasters looked like humans, from their stature, and stood together with three per circle in specific positions for them in the structure of the spell. The positions were arranged in the outer part of it and the cloaked figures stood together in a straight line so that the three casters formed a triangle. Above the mages and their corresponding conjuration levitated a blood red crystal in the center of every single one of the circles. The crystal itself was formed like a three-dimensional octahedron, the size of a medium-scaled dog.

The caster themselves knelt in their positions, like a respectful greeting of a knight before his lord.

"Warlocks," Zecora whispered in awe and fear.

"Warwhat?" Indigo didn't listen, she was hypnotized by the view.

"Warlocks. I know from the spirits that we trolls have them in our rows, too. They are black sorcerers who inflict mostly pain and suffering with their abilities, rarely something good. It looks like they came through this big portal there, this ill feeling you surely got from looking at the spells. Those can only be created by a warlock's sinister energy. They can put curses on your body to feel pain, on the mind to control your will or simply to take a life. These warlocks are clearly trying to summon something, but what?" Zecora closed briefly her eyes and thought about a plan. She looked back at the girls with a worried look.

Sugarcoat remembered something important and her eyes widened. "Wait, Sunset mentioned something very similar..."

"I saw some disturbing things in Amara's mind. For example some strange tall beings. They wore strange black cloaks and stood in bigger groups of six to ten in big icy-looking magic circles. It looked like they tried to summon something evil. I felt the coldness over the memory. That never happened before. But before I could see more, the memory faded."

Zecora thought about Sunset's words. They disturbed her greatly, "I fear I can't protect you any longer, not from so many threats at once. We have to go and think about a new-"

"Well, well, what do we have here? I thought the sign made it clear enough that intruders weren't welcome at this place," a business-like voice stated, annoyed.

Sugarcoat recognized the person in front of them immediately. The blue suit with the three little money bags on it... the face... it just could be him. "Filthy Rich?!" the girl exclaimed in shock.

"Dude, why are you taking part in this?! Did you even kill the camp directors of Camp Everfree?!" Lemon Zest demanded to know in sheer fury.

"Wait, what is wrong with your eyes? You creep! Why are they looking so strange?!" Sour Sweet made a valid point, his pupils were slitted and the eyes dark red instead of white.

"I knew you were bad news. You really deserve it to be called Filthy." Indigo stated angrily.

He shook his hand with a raised forefinger in a lecturing and disapproving way in front of the four friends' faces, "Didn't your parents teach you any manners or explained to show respect for your elders? You could say I recognized the signs and seized the chance which presented itself to me. You see, I couldn't just let the Rich Company go to waste because of these strange changes in the world. II did what I had to do. But before I tell you more..."

Filthy Rich snapped his fingers and through the trees behind the team came something what could only be a demon, or how a demon would look like, in their minds.

It looked like a dog, but instead of fur, this strange ‘animal’ had thick black ice in its place. The dog itself had slit eyes in a dark shade of yellow and a spear-like end on its long, slim tail. From tail to snout, the dog was 5'7” long, the tail alone 40cm, 5'3” tall and it had little, but very sharp looking icicles around its entire body.

Even Fluttershy would find it difficult to describe it as cute and innocent.

"What in the name of the bloody Tartarus is that?!" Indigo Zap demanded to know, disgusted.

He grinned evilly, "That, my dear, is called a 'Frost Hound'. They are very good at searching and discovering their prey. It smelled you and led me to your position. As you might have guessed by now, it is a demon. I am connected to it as its master at the moment and I won't let you go and tell others about us, but I'm curious. How aren't you under our curse? The citizens of Ponyville should fall under our control because of the spells we cast, but something stopped our influence for a long time. In the end we could overpower it, whatever it was, obviously.”

Sugarcoat pointed at the unholy magical constructions near the dock in disgust, “What are you trying to call?!”

Filthy was surprised, “How do you know about that?” He dismissed it, “It doesn’t matter. But you are not entirely correct. These three circles there, they exist for two purposes. The green ones to dominate many sapient beings' minds at once in a specific place. And the blue one is our connection to another realm, the realm where I got my new pet from."

Before the man could continue, Zecora had an idea of how to find out the limits of the mind control spell, "You can control people this far away from here? How does that work? I didn't know such feats were possible." She asked her questions in a very well played voice of mock-interest.

"Hm? Oh, you are a troll. Interesting. I didn't know that your kind lived here. Don't look so surprised. I am already informed about the changes of humans to other races. It was explained to me in some detail by the one who gave me my powers. But to answer your question, no. It doesn't work like that. We have to place a... 'receiver' for the spell at the location we want to control the inhabitants. It is a crystal made of the sacrifice of an imprisoned soul, and we needed two crystals to cover the entire town. It is a very tedious process and the resulting crystal had to be placed at the highest points of Ponyville," Filthy Rich explained patiently.

The girls were deeply disturbed by the fact, that magic like this existed. Sour Sweet and Lemon nearly lost their food.

"Oh, thank you very much for this information," Zecora said sweetly, controlling her emotions.

"Hmph. You don't understand your situation, it seems. You are already dead. It won't matter that I told you about it. Consider this knowledge as a last gift," Filthy Rich replied calmly.

He snapped his fingers again and three more Frost Hounds surrounded them, "I must confess, I have only four of them under my control, but it will be enough for you.” He put his focus on Lemon Zest. “And I didn't forget your accusations, young lady. Let me tell you what happened. I think that I can answer your questions before you will meet your inglorious end..."

Filthy Rich was a patient man. He always got what he desired, when he worked and waited long enough for it. Now his wish was denied for the first time in his life.

He heard about a quiet little piece of earth in the Everfree Forest, with its own lake to boot. The businessman instantly bought the land and wanted to review the place for his future spa paradise. What he found there instead wasn't what he expected or even wanted to find at all... competition.

Two young adults, Gloriosa Daisy and her brother Timber Spruce, were co-directors of their very own summer camp, Camp Everfree. It was founded by their great-grandparents and stood exactly where he wanted to build.

But Filthy Rich wouldn't give up this easily. He visited them and announced that they had to pay him 'monthly rent', so to speak, if they wanted to keep the camp open, otherwise he would flatten it to the ground. He owned the land in theory and showed them the necessary documents. They had to comply. But he couldn't simply kick them out. That was out of his abilities, because their family lived there first. Well, as long as they could pay, that was.

For some time they could keep their agreement, but soon they had problems with paying, but the salesman was not heartless. He gave them time until the end of the month to settle their debts or it was over for Camp Everfree. His plan would soon bear its desired fruits.

But then the Crystal Gala Fundraiser happened. They could collect enough money and not only to keep the camp going, but to buy themselves free from him. Filthy Rich had lost.

He left the party in their honor, sour from his loss.

The tall man wandered angrily through the woods and sat down in front of a small pond, "It is a disaster! I promised my business contacts a relaxing spa in a natural environment and now I'm empty-handed, defeated by mere teenagers. Grrr! All of that, because of those meddling students from Canterlot High School, stupid fundraiser. This little brats, how dare they ruining my business?! I lost A LOT of money because of them!”

"Maybe I can help you, Mr. Rich," a bell-like and soft female voice offered.

"What?" Filthy Rich turned around to face the woman who spoke to him.

The first thought that came to his mind was how stunningly beautiful she was. Then he noticed her appearance, “Who and what is this woman?”

She looked truly exotic. Fir green skin color, a flawless face, luscious lips, hazelnut brown eyes, a delicate nose. Her well-formed eyebrows possessed an elegant form, colored in fire red, same color like her hair, it reached to the middle of her back, silky and voluminous. Her ears were special, they were pointed and elongated on the top side, but not much. Otherwise they looked like human ears. The woman was maybe 5'9” in height. Nearly her entire figure was hugged perfectly by a three-layered robe in three shades of royal purple, adorned with a shimmering emerald in its center on the stomach region. She wore excellently crafted black boots to support her style. They had slightly heightened heels. Her ample chest and very feminine stature gave her an astonishing, yet still fragile, appearance, but he knew better. Behind those brown eyes lurked the silent promise of harsh punishment for everybody who dared to underestimate her.

He met enough men and women in his long years of business. She was not like them. No, not at all. This woman was much more dangerous, his instincts told him.

"W-who are you?" It annoyed him. How could this woman make him so nervous? Filthy Rich felt like prey and she was the predator.

She giggled, oh how cute and adorable it sounded in his ears, "Luviel. My name is Luviel Dawnseeker and I am an Emerald Elf. You could say I've searched for you for some time. I will help you. All I ask for in return is that you meet a... client of mine. You see, I left my kingdom to discover and investigate the magical disturbances I felt, which have their origin in these lands. I felt them since I came into existence in this form.”

He tried to pull himself together, looking professional was the key, “Ms. Dawnseeker, you have my attention. I would like to hear more.”

Filthy could have sworn a growl escaped her throat, must have been his imagination, “I met this client on my way here and he has something I need. But he will only give it to me when I find him a person who can provide him with possibilities to hide from curious eyes. He mentioned your name and description, because you are well-known and he needs your reputation."

He was talking with an actual. Living. Elf. Or Emerald Elf, as she called herself. Of course the man had heard the stories about ‘other sapient races’, but he didn't believe them. Now he he knew better.

"Who is this 'client' you are talking about, Ms. Dawnseeker? I am sure we can come to an agreement. It would have to be beneficial for both sides of course." Filthy Rich assured in a professional tone.

"That would be me, Mr. Rich. I indeed seek a... mutually beneficial situation for the lot of us." a powerful and confident male voice announced.

Filthy Rich's ‘future business partner’ looked like the very opposite of reputable and he was sure that this man's picture should be in every dictionary on the world beside the words ‘shady’ or ‘Grim Reaper’. Or both.

He wore a black cloak which radiated an aura of the deepest darkness and had an ice blue mask. The mask looked like a person, a human, in pure agony. Mouth wide open, the empty eye-holes widened, but he couldn't see anything through the blackness in these openings. The elf's client wore over his chest, back and upon the shoulders silver armor with black highlights, reinforced by steel for safety measures. He was heavily muscled, having a broader build than a typical human. And very tall, too. At least 7'2”. Above the cloak was a black, scaled belt. The buckle was a golden colored miniature version of the man’s mask.

Filthy Rich made a mental note; he would never meet this guy somewhere else, unless under the bright daylight. Or never again. Yes, he liked that option the most.

"Allow me to introduce myself, partner. I am Punisher Vyndrak. You might say I 'talk' with unwanted guests or captured beings of interest in a... closer way."

What kind of title was that?!

"Enough!" Luviel exclaimed, visibly annoyed and furious. It scared Filthy a little, "I helped you to find this man and you gave me your word that you would return to me what is mine."

"Ah, yes," the ‘punisher’ said, uninterested.

Vyndrak took out a dagger. Its hilt was a deep yellow, adorned with fine green metallic lines made of Khoryndium, one of the newly created alloys, found in the Emerald elf's homeland. The blade itself was made of pure green magic and had the form of a large kitchen knife. It was gleaming and illuminated its surroundings.

"Here is your little spell dagger. I have no use for elf magic. Next time you should be more careful in a fight and try not to lose something in your haste. These timberwolves looked quite angry. You are lucky that my masters want to avoid direct conflict with your kingdom, for now. Otherwise I would gut you like a fish. That your natural connection to the flora makes it possible for one of your kind to find other sapient beings eventually aided me in the end. You still served my goals," Vyndrak taunted in arrogance.

"For your information, I was in the middle of a break as they suddenly attacked me. That still doesn't mean that I will forgive you. Believe me, monster, I want to do nothing more than to kill every living member of the Adepts of Khom, when I see one. You are lucky that so many innocent humans are in this camp there and I don't want to endanger their lives in the crossfire. Otherwise you would meet your dark maker, scum," Luviel replied coolly.

Filthy Rich was rarely surer in his entire life than in is this moment. He never wished more for the ability to make himself invisible. These two scared the money out of his pockets! He hoped he would survive them. So the businessman tried to place himself as a mediator between the adept and the Smaragdelf.

He raised both of his arms in an attempt, emphasis on attempt, to soothe both of the heated faction, "Ms. Dawnseeker, Mr. Vyndrak, II know you have some 'repulsion' for each other, but I'm sure when we sit down and-"

"Stay out of this!" both screamed at the poor man at such a volume that he feared he would go deaf.

But when Filthy Rich was honest with himself, he admired the little elf. Especially because they had such a difference in their height, but the woman couldn't care less and talked the adept down like an adult would a child who stole a cookie without permission.

"I have enough from you! I will go for now, but I will hunt you down, if you attack these campers," Luviel stated the fact.

"Don't worry, I have no interest in them. Yet. Hehe." Vyndrak smiled darkly.

The Emerald Elf took her spell dagger and put it in its sheath with force before she glared for one last time with a silent promise in the direction of the punisher and a very... apologetic expression at Filthy Rich? The man was sure in his mind that she looked apologetically at him. Then she left the two men alone.

Vyndrak coughed once and switched to a much more polite voice, "Finally. But now... it is time to conduct business, don't you think? The reason why I searched for you, Mr. Rich, my dear partner, was your reputation. You see, our organization wants to spread its influence, but in order to do that we need first something like a base of operations. Subtlety is key. If you would help us in our endeavour, you would be paid handsomely for your troubles. This little camp there would serve this purpose perfectly. Of course, we will let the humans leave first to avoid any questions. When they are gone, I wish for you to help us in safeguarding this location and to make sure that other people won't come here. Ever again."

Filthy Rich was many things, but ‘stupid’ wasn't one of them. From what he understood, these ‘Adepts of Khom’ sounded like a very violent bunch and he didn't want to take any part in it. Now he had to gently tell the man that we wasn't interested. Very gently.

"Mr. Vyndrak, I can assure you that I want to work with you and your colleagues, but I fear I have to decline your gracious offer. So-" he couldn't continue, because Vyndrak exploded in laughter.

After he calmed down, the Adept of Khom locked eyes with Filthy Rich, or so the salesman thought, he wasn't sure with this mask. Vyndrak's polite tone was gone, "I think you misunderstand the situation you are in, partner. That was not a 'request'. More a... 'strong advice in the name of self-preservation'. It would be truly horrible if something happened to your daughter and wife, don't you think?” The punisher chuckled ominously at Filthy’s pale face, “Don't be so surprised, Mr. Rich! I did my homework and know about your family. Diamond Tiara and Spoiled Rich, right? If you value their lives, then you will comply and do what is expected of you. Do we have an agreement, partner? And don't think you can escape me. We will find those two and I will make them scream." at the end of Vyndrak's 'proposal', his voice was completely malicious.

Filthy Rich was never this terrified before. He wanted to avoid death, because it was a one-time business, but he couldn't let his family be in danger. Diamond Tiara, his wife Spoiled Rich and the family of, including Diamond's friend herself, Silver Spoon were all together on the holidays.

He stayed behind to build his new spa resort.

They just called them this morning and they were fine. He just hoped that they were safe and it would stay like that.

As a responsible and loving father and husband, he could only make one logical decision and the founder of the Rich Company already hated himself for it.

"I understand. Mr. Vyndrak. We have an agreement. I-It was a... pleasure to conduct business with you." Filthy Rich needed to pull himself together or he would scream at the punisher out of sheer fury.

"See? This decision wasn't so hard, right? Now, I will go and collect some of my fellow adepts, then we will return to this place. Oh, and please don't try to betray me. We both know how that would end, don't we? Your task will be to observe the camp until it is left alone by the other humans. Don’t disappoint me, partner." Vyndrak gave him a mocking bow and disappeared out of sight.

Filthy Rich groaned heavily. Sometimes he REALLY hated his job.

The man returned to Camp Everfree to witness how everyone left the party. The last one was one of the co-directors, Gloriosa Daisy.

She smiled in triumph at him as she recognized his figure, "Filthy Rich! We got enough money to save the camp and we will buy ourselves free from you and your shady methods. I calculated the revenues and the needed amount of money to buy the land where the camp rests on and it will be enough. Camp Everfree will stay. The seven girls who saved me from my own corruption and stopped me showed me a better way.” About what was this woman talking about? Corruption? “Maybe you will learn your lesson one day, too. I told you that I got this and that we would give you your money in time. Here, the last payment." Gloriosa turned on her heel and went away to tell her brother and the students of CHS about the good news.

Oh, the irony was strong. If this naive girl only knew that he was the smallest of their problems.

But he couldn't warn them. He heard rumors about this... confrontation between Gloriosa and seven special girls during the fundraiser. They would stay to fight and from what he saw, this adepts wouldn't falter and simply kill them, he had to save them. Besides, they didn't seem to be the negotiation-type. Now that he thought about it, Filthy Rich was sure that his daughter mentioned the names of these girls, but he didn't really listen at the time.

Nothing of interest happened in the last day of CHS' field trip. Filthy Rich even talked with the siblings again and wanted to convince them to leave this place, not anymore for his sake, but because they would meet a very unfortunate fate when Vyndrak returned and they were still here. He even joked about it and gave them hints, but they just reacted angrily at him and demanded that he should leave them alone. Gloriosa Daisy and Timber Spruce decided to stay in Camp Everfree. He couldn't do anything more for them.

Filthy Rich hid himself from the eyes of the students and the caretakers of Canterlot High. They collected themselves one last time in front of the bus, Gloriosa and Timber with them, before they would leave and return home.

He listened in. It annoyed him that they decided to meet that early in the morning.

"Attention students!" the tall woman with the multi-colored hair announced happily, "We had an exciting week here in Camp Everfree and I want to thank you all for the good time."

The students clapped their hands. Some cheered, like the girl with the cowboy hat.

"Yeehaw! Ah'll be, that week sure was somethin'!" the country girl said.

He saw that Timber Spruce talked with a camper, a female student with lavender skin. They laughed with each other and locked eyes with blushing faces. Yes, clearly more interest than simple friendship. It reminded him of his younger times. The man wondered if that was even legal. Wasn't she just a student and he a co-director of his own camp?

Gloriosa went in front of the assembled students and told them her opinion about the week, "At the beginning of the camp, I told you I will make this week for you the 'BEST WEEK EVER' and in the end, it really was. But not only because of me or Timber, no. It was, because every single one of you played an important role to achieve that goal. Your Camp Gift, this wonderful dock, will be a beacon for future campers, I'm sure of it.”

More cheers echoed through the forest.

She continued joyfully, “Furthermore, I wanted to thank you all for the Crystal Gala fundraiser, I can positively announce that we have enough money to buy this piece of land. Camp Everfree will continue to stand at this place!" The students clapped louder and more cheered in loud support.

"Yeah! The Wondercolts saved the day again!" the girl with the rainbow colored hair screamed as the loudest of all.

The other caretaker, a woman with midnight blue skin, finally announced, "Before we leave, you surely are wondering why we called you this early." Yes, Filthy Rich was wondering, indeed. "Well, before we finally return home, Principal Celestia and I had a short talk with our dear camp directors and this forest has some wondrous sights to behold. We want to visit a few of them so we will return to Canterlot later than originally planned."

"Oh! I read about some of the natural wonders of the Everfree Forest. I'm so excited to finally verify what I read about them." the same lavender girl, who was talking with Timber before, said.

Filthy Rich just groaned. Her friends seemed to chuckle at their friend's antics.

At last, they left. Only he and the both co-directors were still there. This was his last chance to save them. He would-

"Ah, the other humans finally left, good. But it seems that two of them stayed. The camp owners, I guess. Well, we should greet them. Don't you agree, partner?" Vyndrak mused in dark glee and anticipation from behind the businessman.

Filthy Rich mentally cursed his luck and fate in the worst way possible. Every sailor on the world would blush from envy at his creativity.

"O-Oh! Mr. Vyndrak. I didn't expect you so soon. And I see you brought company."

Nine human-looking people in black cloaks and armor with hidden faces stood behind the punisher and waited for further instructions.

Vyndrak ignored the man and looked around himself. His eyes landed on the dock. "Perfect! Yes, this will do. Adepts! Position yourself on the dock like we trained. Go!"

The adepts followed the order and took their places on and around the dock, Vyndrak himself was standing at the very end of the jetty, one step away from falling into the lake. There he would open their portal for supplying this new outpost.

"Begin the ritual!" the punisher shouted. Filthy Rich was nervous about what could come next.

A black magic circle with some unknown symbols in them appeared under every adept, which made the salesman violently ill to the stomach when he looked directly at it. He nearly lost his lunch. Their bodies began to glow in a sinister black color. Fine beams of black energy came from every adept. They collected themselves in Vyndrak's back and entered his body. The punisher himself stood on a very big version of the circle, at least five meters in diameter. He stood like a praying statue, but he was filled with concentration. His body consumed the magic of the other nine adepts and his eyes were nothing more than black holes, overflowing because of the influx of power.

After nothing seemed to happen, the earth started to quake strongly. It alarmed the co-directors, Gloriosa and Timber, who came running out of their house and witnessed the end of the ritual.

Vyndrak opened a gigantic, dark yellow and black portal, formed like a door. The entire dock was suddenly consumed by darkness and the former wood was transformed into some black crystal. When he was finally finished, the adept and his subordinates lost the unholy glow, the circles disappeared.

Filthy Rich was terrified but fascinated at the same time by this show. The co-directors had another opinion about it.

"What have you done?!" Gloriosa Daisy shouted in shock and she was livid. Her brother didn't react much better.

"Whatever you did, take it back! You have no idea what you are doing, but I can see that you used some very evil magic. Return the dock to its former state and leave or we will call the police!"

Filthy Rich wanted to facepalm so hard that his face would have hurt for quite some time. There were times, when you should stand your ground and there were times to keep quiet for the sake of survival.

This situation didn't count as the first option, in his book.

The punisher realized that they had an audience and saw the enraged young adults, "Oh, someone just volunteered. Congratulations, your souls will help our goals immensely. You little humans should have run as far as you could, but now we don't need to search for our sacrifices,"

Vyndrak smiled at them with madness in his eyes. Not that they could see it. He snapped his fingers and four adepts took the siblings as prisoners. They tried to struggle in irritation and fear.

"W-What are you doing? Release us at once!" Gloriosa demanded hotly. She and her brother struggled even harder, but their captors didn't have much problem keeping them down.

"Bring them to me," Vyndrak ordered, bored by their futile attempts to escape. The siblings were brought next to him in front of the portal.

"Please, wait here. I want to show you something, but before that, tell me. What is this camp worth to you?" Filthy Rich didn't like where this was going. The co-directors felt the same.

The punisher summoned a big black scythe. The hilt was 2.3 meters long, It was nigh-on covered with ice blue runes, thicker on the end. Vyndrak held it in his hand as it glowed a dark silver color. The blade was black like the deepest darkness, but the blade itself was not only long and slightly curved to the inside, but the sharp side of it was blood red colored in fine highlights. It would look like real blood in the right light.

Vyndrak looked proud at his weapon. "Do you like it? I named it lovingly ‘Soulcutter'. A fitting name in my opinion."

The former bravery of the siblings was replaced with utter terror and fear for their lives.

"You didn't answer my question yet. What meaning. Has this camp. To you?" he queried again in patience.

Timber answered this time, stuttering nervously. "I-It's our home. Our great grandparents f-founded this place and since then it's been in the ownership of our f-family.”

"Y-Yes, we saved enough money to save our camp, our home, from this man there. Filthy Rich. He wanted to close it down so that he could open a spa resort here." Gloriosa supported her brother.

The man in question felt a little guilty now, when she worded it like that.

"I see... so this place is of greatest importance for you. It is your only home and a camp to give others the enjoyment of this place, because you want to make others happy. Finally, you did everything in your power to keep it open. How admirable." The Adept of Khom didn't say more and walked slowly to the center of Camp Everfree. He raised his scythe above his head in a straight line, the big end pointed in the direction of the ground.

"W-What are you doing?" Gloriosa asked, confused.

In answer of her question, the entire scythe began to glow in a dark orange color with a black outline. Vyndrak looked with sadistic glee in the direction of the siblings, "You will now witness the might of the Adepts of Khom! You shall feel despair and know that you could do nothing to stop me. I hereby declare the permanent shutdown of. Camp. EVERFREE!"

"NO!!” Gloriosa and Timber shouted in despair. Tears streamed down the woman's face.

Vyndrak slammed his magic fueled scythe deep into the ground. Cracks emerged all over the camp's grounds. The magic of the warlock let the earth succumb to death. The earth colored from its former bright brown and lush green to lifeless and hardened black rock. Fissures opened all over the place, the magic in its unholy gleam of orange oozed out of them. Buildings collapsed, the camp site was destroyed and finally the little earthquake which shook them all abated. He pulled his weapon out of the ground, sent it away from where he summoned it and admired his work.

Now both of the siblings were in tears and Gloriosa screamed, not only in sadness, but in sheer fury, too, "You MONSTER! How could you do that?! You destroyed everything! That was our home, our livelihood!"

No person was harmed, because all stood on the crystallized dock. The earthquake didn't reach, much less harm, it in the slightest.

Filthy Rich was disturbed by this display of power. He was lucky that he decided to comply with their one-sided business. The adept would have destroyed him. Maybe he still would. The chairman was, frankly, scared.

"Yes! Show me your despair! I enjoy and thrive in the suffering of my victims. They shall feel true fear and realize that there is no hope for them and in the end... I can and I will take everything away from them. Adepts! Form in groups of three. Two teams will open circles for the mass mind control curse and the other for the summoning of... outsider support. But before you do that, we have to conduct one last point of business." The leader of this group returned to the dock.

Vyndrak walked up to the both siblings. They knelt in front of him, despair in their eyes. "What could you possibly do to us anymore!? You took everything away what we had!" Timber spat in front of the punisher.

He chuckled in response, "Oh. Don't you remember? I said at the start of our little conversation that your souls would serve as sacrifices." He pulled out two small ice blue daggers out of a big pocket on the left side of his cloak.

"You see, as warlocks we need sacrifices for some of our spells, but only a few won't do, so I searched and found this little town, Ponyville. It has enough inhabitants for a great summoning. But they could just escape, so we will alter their minds to stay there. On this way we can farm their souls, like crops.” He then addressed the remaining adepts, “Bring me the Soul Prisons."

Two of the adepts listened and ran through the big portal. They came back shortly later and brought two dark purple crystals, about the size of a football and in the form of one, too.

Vyndrak presented the siblings’ the dark artifacts in mad joy, "These, my dear lambs, are Soul Prisons. They serve as conduits for our spells and to extract a soul out of a body. But they are rarely used, because they are expensive to make and need a lot of preparation time.”

Their eyes turned to pinpricks.

He laughed openly at their misery, “It is funny... some humans think that a body is nothing more than a collection of nerves, muscles, tissues, bones, cells and fluids. Powered by energy from mitochondria, the cells which supply the body with energy. But the truth is much more complicated. Without magic and without a soul, a body would be nothing more than a dead piece of meat. But back to business. When a Soul Prison is filled with a soul, a strong and skilled warlock can modify the crystals in multiple ways. For example, to create, you could say... 'receivers' for spells. If you put a modified crystal at one specific place, the magic you cast will work at this place, even from higher distances. Not for very great distances, but enough to reach Ponyville, certainly. We will send our mind control curse from here to Ponyville and YOUR souls, captured and modified in Soul Prisons, will serve as the necessary receiver. Isn't that great? I just have to use these two daggers here. They are enchanted to steal a soul, and from the weapon itself the soul can be redirected. In this case, to the Soul Prison." Vyndrak sadistically finished his explanation.

Filthy, Timber and Gloriosa were all terrified by this knowledge.

"P-Please! You don't have to do this!" Gloriosa begged the adept in tears.

"Yes, you are right... I really don't have to do this-" He rammed the first ice blue dagger into Gloriosa's heart, absorbing her soul and killing her instantly.

"NOOOOOOO!! GLORIOSA!!" Timber screamed, crushed.

"-but I want to do it, girl," Vyndrak finished his sentence, laughing, and looked in Timber's empty eyes, broken by the loss of his sister.

"Any last wishes?" the punisher asked the green-haired boy in mock-pity.

A little color and light returned into Timber's eyes, now filled with disgust and hatred, "I hope you will die horribly. Someone will bring justice upon you and may you rot in Tartarus for your crimes!"

"I heard it is a nice warm place. Maybe I will ask for my next vacation there," Vyndrak answered thoughtfully.

He rammed the second dagger into Timber's heart, taking his soul in the process.

Vyndrak looked to the shocked Filthy Rich, "Don't be so surprised, partner. It was all part of our business. You should have read the fine print of our non-existent contract," he said smugly.

The businessman broke down on his knees, "I-I didn't want this! Yes, I wanted to close the camp to build my spa paradise here, but not like this! Not over the dead bodies of two innocent people!"

Vyndrak rolled with his eyes, "Don't be so sensitive. Did you take drama class in your time in school? You two!" He pointed at two of his subordinates, "Take these dead bodies and dump them somewhere deeper in the Everfree Forest. Let the predators have a meal for free. I don't want the corpses here." The two in question saluted, took one body each and went into the Everfree.

Two hours later they returned. They reported that they found a big cave with remains of other humans. It was surely the home of a strong predator, so they dumped the bodies in the end of the cave and returned to the new base.

Filthy sat all this time on the dock. He didn't know how he should feel. Confused, terrified, angered, sad, disgusted, guilty? There was too much to feel in this moment for him. Vyndrak modified and finished the two new receivers by this time.

"Ah! The Soul Prisons are finished. Cheer up, partner. The worst is behind you, I promise. Our presence has to stay a secret, but I have one last task before you can do your side of the bargain. These two crystals need to be placed at the highest points of the town in order to have the, well, 'best signal', you might say. There is a lot of magic theory behind that and I don't want to bore you. The point is that we would be anything else but subtle, so you have to do it. Easy, right?"

"Why..." Filthy Rich muttered, confused.

"Why what?" Vyndrak inquired curiously.

"Why do I have to help you taking the souls of other humans?" the salesman asked tiredly.

The Punisher sighed longly, “I already told you, but I see that your little moral code won't allow that, so I prepared a present for you. Because I like you and I'm thankful from the depths of my black heart. No, seriously, I am. I just have problems showing my feelings. You know... the whole death and destruction thing and all. Here!"

He gave Filthy Rich a translucent vial, a blood red flame filled the little container.

"Wh-What is this?" Filthy asked in fear, but slight interest.

"Demon fire my friend. Open the vial and you'll see what will happen. Or even better, I will open it for you." Vyndrak opened the vial in the direction of Filthy Rich.

"WAH!" the human exclaimed in sheer surprise. The flame flew directly into Filthy Rich's mouth. He coughed a few times, fearing he would burn alive from the inside... but nothing happened.

Then he felt it. The pain.

"Ugggghhhh."

"Don't worry, partner. the Demon fire spreads inside your body and makes you a half-demon. You can use magic and it will awaken your darkest desires. Well, that is the side-effect. But hey, nothing in life is free, except death," Vyndrak said, attempting to joke.

Finally the Demon fire ended its work and Filthy Rich opened his eyes. They were now slit and changed color to a dark red.

He felt... powerful. Very powerful. Yes, he would spread the influence of his company, but most importantly it would happen in the name of his new master, Damnation Seeker Khom.

"I hope I could satisfy your curiosity. Now prepare to die," Filthy Rich announced darkly.

"I see... so you are more a victim and a used puppet than one of the ones responsible. The spirits are saddened and so am I," Zecora stated in compassion.

"Puppet? Ha! I was never this powerful before. My master granted me true magic and you won't take it away from me. Besides, I can't let you go and talk about everything, can I?" He replied, annoyed.

"I want to kick this Vyndrak into next week." Indigo Zap voiced her thoughts. The other girls and Zecora could only agree.

During the explanation by Filthy Rich, many thoughts and emotions shot over their faces and through their minds. Who was this mysterious Emerald Elf, this Luviel Dawnseeker? And where was Vyndrak? He was nowhere to be seen.

But they knew one thing for sure; the others had to be informed as soon as possible.

"Girls," Zecora started calmly, "Do you remember what we talked about on our way to this place? What we would do if we would encounter a very dangerous situation?" she asked the others.

They nodded shortly.

"Ok... CLOSE YOUR EYES!" the shaman screamed warningly.

Zecora grasped the one tonic she held hidden in her shorts. A mixture of mojo and herbs as a trigger. She tossed it onto the ground and a brilliant white light, similar to a flashbang, just without the sound, came into existence.

"GAHHH!" Filthy Rich exclaimed in shock. The flash blinded him. The dogs were affected as well and snarled angrily in pain.

After a short time, the man and his four Frost Hounds could see again. Their prey was gone.

"They mustn't escape! After them, my pets!" ordered a furious Filthy Rich. He was tricked, but wouldn't allow their escape in the end.

The hunt was on.

Author's Note

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

A prayer of respect for Glorioa and Timber. They've met with a terrible fate, haven't they?

And I have an announcement to make: I have a proofreader now. :yay:

That means, that the chapters will be corrected piece for piece.

Prologue and Chapter 1 have now the edited versions, with 20% more grammar. Ok, I'm not this bad, it could be worse, but hey. If someone wants to read the proofread versions, two chapters are ready.

I will write it down at the top of the Author's Note, when a chapter was proofread and again edited and filled in by me. Just so you know.

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 9 - Conquering the Terror

"Run!" Zecora screamed relentlessly, urging the girls into action.

The shaman and the four friends formulated a plan on their way to the camp for situations which would be much too dangerous for them. Especially the girls. Zecora would use one of her tonics to create a blinding light in form of a little explosion, like a flashbang or ignited magnesium, in order to escape. They just hoped it would be enough to lose their pursuers.

They could hear from behind them the enraged, demonic barks of the Frost Hounds, taking up the hunt for their escaping prey.

"We are lucky that we trained our bodies and stamina for the Friendship Games so much. Otherwise we would've ended up as chew toys for these walking icicles!" Sour Sweet exclaimed with only a slightly harder breath.

"Less. Talk. More. Run!" Indigo Zap scolded between breaths, sparing her strength like the young athlete learned in her training.

"Lemon Zest! The bag with the tonics, fast!" Zecora demanded, still very fit. The continuing chase had the least burden on her body of all, until now.

The girl in question gave the bag to the shaman, who took out a phial with a yellow fluid, threw it behind her and called to the others in warning, "Quickly! Close your nose!"

Sugarcoat wanted to know why, but followed that order in confusion, same as her friends.

A yellow cloud of steam came out of the shattered glass container and started spreading quickly. Lemon, her usual curious self, wanted to know exactly why they should do that. The punishment for disobeying followed instantly and without mercy.

"Urgh!...Holy mother of-Urgh!" The girl never covered her face with her hand this quickly, or painfully hard, for that matter. But she couldn't care less in her brief moment of agony. She had to fight the strong urge to vomit and run at the same time.

After a short time, Zecora uncovered her face and started to slow down a little bit, a sly smile on her lips, "I warned you, my young friend. This tonic was specially made for the case of being chased by predators or other unruly creatures. I created this mixture with some herbs, which can create a truly disgusting stench in combination, stagnant water and a lot of sulfur. The perfect weapon to disorient foes who use their nose to find their victims. Quite the weapon I might say." She grinned mischievously.

"Y-Yeah, no kidding. I will never disobey you again, dude. Like, ever!" Lemon swore palely, her friends snickered at their fellow Shadowbolt's misfortune.

Filthy Rich was furious. How dared this woman blind him like that? He still saw colorful blotches everywhere.

When he found them he would make them pay, especially the troll. They had a head start, but they couldn't escape his hounds. Frost Hounds were a special breed of demon, made for the hunt. Yes, they... already came back, running in his direction at full speed and were... whining? They ran like death itself was chasing them. He wondered why. What happened? What could be terrible enough to beat four Frost Hounds without a fight?

Filthy Rich continued looking back in the direction where the demonic dogs ran, back to the outpost. But he didn't stop walking. Big mistake, otherwise he would have seen the yellow cloud he ran into.

Then the mother of all stenches hit his nose.

"BY KHOM'S WASTED TAIL! What cruel, sadistic and perverse being created this abomination of a smell!?" he exclaimed in great shock, uttering a colorful mix of curses.

The man rolled around on the ground in agony and forced his hands upon his face. After a few seconds, he stood up and ran back to the base as fast as he could.

Finally the stench in the air disappeared, but he and his clothes were contaminated. He would burn them to ashes. Filthy Rich decided that he would need the best-and most expensive grooming products, soaps and the longest bubble bath of his life to lose this disgusting smell.

The half demon was annoyed, no, furious! His prey escaped, they would warn others about them, they would warn their allies about their base. And worse, it was his fault. He let them escape. Filthy Rich was worried about what Vyndrak would say to his failure. Hopefully he would survive.

A distorted, ear splitting and terrifying scream was heard. Filthy Rich looked up to see what unholy creature could make such noises... oh. It seemed like his colleagues summoned something much bigger this time. The majestic and bulky behemoth flew over his head in the direction of the escaped group of humans. He really wouldn't want to be in their skins right then.

Zecora and the Shadowbolts reached the street and the place where Cheerilee let them out at the beginning. Now they had to return to Ponyville.

"I think we lost them. We have to go back to Ponyville and find these 'Soul Prisons' they used to spread their mind control.” She groaned, “I never would have thought that I would say something like that in my life," Sugarcoat stated, expressionless.

"Calm down, Sugarcoat. We could slip through and are out of danger. For now. What could possibly go wrong?" Indigo Zap said in confidence.

If the girl didn't close her eyes for a few seconds to enjoy their small victory, then she would have seen the panicked look from Lemon Zest. The green-haired girl already had her fair share this day with tempting fate.

A powerful, distorted scream was heard from the direction they came from. Lemon gave her friend a loathing look, nobody saw it.

"W-What was that!? Great. We're in trouble again, aren't we?" Sour Sweet asked, annoyed.

A big shadow blocked out the sun for a short time and something landed forcefully in front of them on the street. A lot of dust and wind were created by whatever arrived, so the group had to close their eyes. As they opened them again and the dust was gone, they could see the new creature in all its glory.

"Hmm. I regret now that I didn't create more than one dose of stench tonic. But I fear that it might not be enough for something like this," Zecora said nervously.

The girls could only nod their heads in fateful agreement.

Before them stood a hungry looking hippogriff, but much bigger and more menacing than described in the myths.

It had a height of 13 feet and muscles at the right places to look strong, massive, and very athletic, but elegant despite its big body. Its forelegs ended with, judging by the orange colored scales protecting them, sharp bird-like claws with four digits; Three in the front and a small one on the back of the claw. On the front of the forelegs, starting at the beginning of the claw up to the upper body, were vividly colored feathers, instead of scales, in indigo, slate grey and teal. The three colors were arranged in changing patterns, which gave the creature a majestic look.

The same plumage covered the hippogriff's upper body, from the head, over the wings and to the middle of its body where the feathers slowly became smaller until the lower half of its body started. The wings themselves were long and graceful, but strongly built to cover long distances. The entire topside of the wings was slate grey, whereas indigo and teal dominated the rest of the wings in beautiful patterns, feather by feather. The thumb bone of the wings was elongated to a sharp, long black thorn-like weapon, sticking out of the the wings, ready to pierce its careless prey. The hippogriff had dark yellow hawk eyes, from indigo feathers covered lion-like ears and a strong indigo colored beak, it looked like a version of the beak of a parrot, but broader and sharper.

It even had a predator's teeth. Yes, much more dangerous than the ‘typical’ hippogriff.

On the top of its head were two sickly yellow colored antlers. They looked similar to the antlers of a male deer, just much more dangerously formed. The lower half of the body looked a little like the body of a horse. It had no feathers, but black long scales, partially surrounded by black fur. The hind legs were well muscled and protected by the scales, too and they ended with slate grey hooves. It had two tails, one black colored horse tail and a long one with teal feathers, which ended with a big feather of a peacock, decorated with a blood red slitted eye. It gave them the creeps, because it could move on its own and looked directly at them, switching between the future meals.

What the group didn't know was that this horrible foe was very aggressive and infused by demonic energy. Rarely was it that someone survived an unprepared encounter with these creatures. They were called: Terrorbeasts.

"Do you think it just wants to be our friend? We are toast..." Sour Sweet stated in a monotone voice.

As if understanding the girl's hopeful question, the Terrorbeast charged them at high speed. That answered it.

"Move!" Zecora shouted to the girls.

They all could dodge in time, because Zecora summoned her mojo and used one little spell to move the earth under them. She could prevent worse things from happening. Sugarcoat escaped with a little, but harmless, cut on her left leg. Without the shaman's help she would have met a painful demise or at least suffered heavy injuries.

"Sugarcoat! Are you OK?!" Indigo demanded to know, greatly worried for her friend.

"Y-Yes. I have a little cut on my leg, but nothing major. I could have sworn that was it for me." Sugarcoat looked thankfully at Zecora, "Thanks for the save." The troll nodded her head in acknowledgment.

"Careful, it charges again!" Lemon Zest warned this time.

The demonic creature was angry that its meal could dodge, so it switched targets from Sugarcoat, who standing behind Zecora, to the nearest target, Sour Sweet. It charged again, this time in a fast advancing low level flight.

"You won't harm these girls, creature!" Zecora announced in determination and shot a concentrated ball of green fire in the way of the being.

It would hit the beast, to the group's delight. But it could dodge despite its size with an elegant maneuver, much to their shock.

"What?!" the shaman exclaimed, fearful for Sour Sweet's life. She couldn't stop the further advancement of the Terrorbeast in time now.

"Sour Sweet!" the girl's friends shouted in panic at the same time.

The moment she knew that she was the next target, the bipolar Shadowbolt immediately started to run for the trees, thinking she would be safe there. Not that it helped much against the fast, agile demon.

The giant predator made itself ready to bite Sour Sweet in two with its mighty beak, opened it and bit in the poor teenager's body to spread her gory insides. She dissolved into white light on contact like she never existed in the first place. The beast was very baffled from that. It looked around frantically in search of its escaped meal.

Most of the group didn't react any better.

"W-What?! Where is Sour Sweet?" Lemon asked, very confused.

"There she is!" Zecora pointed to the treeline.

Sour Sweet hid herself behind a big tree to their left side. The girl looked astonished herself and didn't understood what just happened.

"H-how am I still alive?! I was sure that freaky-looking thing had me for good, suddenly I was here behind the tree. W-what just happened?" the saved girl queried into the round.

"I guess that was me, or more my Illusion Magic," Sugarcoat, who was not as surprised as the others, replied in an analytical tone.

"What?" Indigo commented intelligently.

"I knew that Sour Sweet wanted to reach that tree and my biggest wish in that moment was that I could do something to distract the strange looking hippogriff and to buy her some time. Suddenly my magic awoke and with instinct and some basic knowledge I created an illusion of her behind that tree and switched places of Sour and her copy, made of my magic. It worked, in the end," the glasses wearing girl ended her lecture.

"Way to go, Sugarcoat!" Indigo cheered. Sour Sweet thanked her friend the loudest.

"You have a truly useful magic," Zecora concurred, smiling.

"I have a plan to confuse it, too." Sugarcoat created one illusion of every of her friends, including Zecora, and herself.

"Indigo, use 'Zap-Attack'!" Lemon Zest ordered her friend's copy dramatically.

The original girl in question just looked with a ‘what the hell are you doing?’ expression at the music loving Shadowbolt. But the magical clone itself didn't react at all.

"Sorry Lemon, but my magic just takes orders from me, it seems," Sugarcoat said with an apologetic smile.

Lemon pouted.

The Terrorbeast watched closely. Suddenly there was even more prey. It would be a feast! The demon charged again, supported by a challenging scream.

"Here it comes again!" Zecora warned anew.

"Go!" Sugarcoat ordered the copies with concentration. They obeyed their creator's wish and spread in all directions around the creature.

The demon charged furiously with its highest speed and attacked one clone after another, but it was always disappointed when its prey dissolved into thin air. Now it was really mad and started to follow its original targets again.

The others, meanwhile, Sour Sweet, too, ran down the street in the direction of Ponyville as fast as they could.

"We have to do something about that monster! We will endanger other humans while that thing is following us!" Sugarcoat shouted over their slowly increasing volume of breathing.

"Sour Sweet had the right idea. It is very big and can't follow us through the thicker parts of the forest. Let's go!" Zecora shared her plan. The others nodded in silent agreement.

They were sure that they were safe in the forest itself. Well there were other predators, yes, but still better than their new friend. There was just one problem they didn't know yet.

A Terrorbeast wasn't only named a Terrorbeast because of its size, strength, agility or speed, but because of another two abilities, too. In its fury, the being decided to use one of them now. Its breath.

Zecora saw it out of the periphery of her eyes.

"Stop!" the troll urged her young friends and created a bubble made of ocean blue water around them. Nearly too late. Zecora's shield saved them from being roasted alive.

Black flames came out of the creature's beak and set the street around them on fire, melting the tar. Luckily it just hit the broad road and not the forest around them. The team didn't need a forest fire to boot.

"Oh, come on! Can't we have a bloody break?! How can we escape now? It would just burn down the forest! We can't go there anymore," Sour Sweet stated the first part of her opinion in great annoyance and the second part in desperation.

"That is indeed a problem. I have only a few abilities and not very much for the fight. I can't damage this thing when it always dodges. Sugarcoat's illusion won't save us again when it uses its breath, now on everyone from a distance instead of charging directly. Furthermore, I can only use and expand my Water Shield ability to protect you when you are near me," the shaman explained with a racing mind, trying to come up with a battle plan.

Their hunter was ready to shoot another load of fire, when suddenly Indigo Zap stepped in front of them, furious, "I. Have had. ENOUGH of you!"

The girl outstretched her hand in the direction of the Terrorbeast and much to the... 'shock' of everyone, including the demon, blue lightning flew from her palm and met the incoming black flames halfway. Both abilities clashed and created a little explosion in the air.

"Cool!" Lemon screamed in celebration.

Little sparks of electricity around her hand, still, Indigo looked in awe at the with magic surrounded part of her body, "Ha! I'm even more awesome now! My Lightning Magic will come in handy. Take that, you overgrown half chicken!"

The Shadowbolt shot two more streaks of lightning at the creature and was finally successful with the second one. She landed a hit. The being screamed out in pain and fury. Indigo hit, with much luck, the tip of one wing and it had to land now, at least for a short while.

"Boom! The Lightning Attack hit the Flying Type! It was super effective!" Lemon Zest exclaimed in sheer excitement. The others looked at the girl in irritation.

Since the last two weeks she was pushing her newly found hobby of playing this ridiculous game onto them. She gave once an explanation when they met in the mall and confronted the music lover about said passion.

Lemon slammed her hands on the table to make her point, "Girls, you don’t understand! I found a little shop where I went in afterwards and saw this cool new game. It was only released recently and there were tons of different looking animals, even some very strange ones or made of rocks or metal!

Sugarcoat drank her smoothie without fail the whole time, but decided to share her opinion about that after listening to their bickering for the last five minutes, “I don’t understand you. What is so great about this game?”

Lemon gave a happy smile, “Dude, it’s all about the adventures! They fight each other as the caught pets of their respective owners, some humans called 'Monster Trainer'. The fights were cool, but sometimes very brutal. I felt bad for the poor guys sometimes. They are carried and trapped in some tiny little balls with different colors, so that they couldn't escape their masters. But hey, it’s just a game, so who gives, right?”

Indigo snorted, “I know a few people who would gladly disagree with you. So what? Do these things have anything special about them?”

The green-haired teenager sat down again on her chair like a normal person, “I’m glad you ask. You see, they represent different types of elements. Each type has other types as weaknesses or it is super effective against them. But sometimes it makes absolutely no sense. I mean, come on, a cute little Fairy Type beats the strong, big bad Dragon Type? What a joke! But back to my point. For example Flying Type monsters have ice, rock and electricity as weaknesses. Those are like super effective! Oh yes! I nearly forgot. The one who catches them all and defeats all other Trainers and their imprisoned monsters will earn the title of the 'Monster Master' or somethin'. Neat, right?" Lemon Zest finished her description.

The others weren't amused at all.

It was more in opposite, they were disturbed by the terrible game. Innocent animals who never hurt anyone would be imprisoned and taken away from their home, friends and family against their will, just so they can fight in some merciless battles? For the enjoyment of humans or for proving to each other who is better? Better in what? A competition for the title: ‘Who is the best slaver?’?

What sick being would create such a horrible concept to gain money with? Worse, who would buy and support something like that? Humans, who like animal abuse? Perverts, who like to kick little innocent puppies? All animal rights groups would have a field day with that. Even the intelligent demon, consisting out of some animals, was highly disgusted.

A silent promise was made between them after being reminded of it. They would never tell Fluttershy about the existence of such a game that promoted pure evil. The poor, kind soul would break down crying and have nightmares for years to come.

But they had bigger concerns right now, literally.

The grounded hippogriff really had it with these pesky little beings. If direct assaults and its breath wouldn't be enough, then it would use its last ability.

Besides, its prey was more dangerous than it thought. That lightning attack on the wing had hurt. The second, longer tail with the red slitted eye began to glow in a sinister blood red. A magical black circle appeared under the demon. The resulting darkness infused its body and it began to change.

It grew in size from 13 to 15 feet. Its muscles grew even more, but it kept its athletic and agile appearance somehow. The antlers were enlarged and the sharp ends pointed all to the front now. The eyes changed from dark yellow to blood red and every teal feather changed to white and indigo to gold. Its beak was further elongated and changed to gold, too. On the topside of the beak came into existence a long, poison green colored horn. It looked a little like the horn of a rhinoceros. The hooves and claws not only grew in size, but on them emerged sharp, blood red crystals. Lastly, the eye on the feather closed itself slowly and lost all its color. it turned literally to stone inside the living feather. The true Terrorbeast was born.

The group was horrified and Sugarcoat, who was normally very educated and well-mannered in her choice of words, summed up their situation perfectly, "Bloody. Freaking. Tartarus."

"Wow, the street is cracking under its weight," Lemon muttered.

"That isn't good at all. I guess that is its final stage. Look, the red eye closed itself on the tail and turned to stone," Zecora pointed out.

Sugarcoat created more illusions of their team, one for everyone and three for herself. she sent them toward the beast in the hope that it would charge directly again like the first time, so they would have more time to think about a plan. She was tired from the overuse of her magic in such a short time.

The Terrorbeast looked annoyed at the illusions. It wouldn't fall twice for this trick. It sent the copies flying against the street or surrounding trees with powerful wing beats. No copy survived the little mini-hurricane. The magician fell to her knees, magic overuse leaving her nearly exhausted.

"Sugarcoat, are you alright? Lemon enquired, worried.

"Y-Yes, only a little tired," she replied bravely.

"Ah, magical exhaustion. You used too much magic in a short time. No wonder. You discovered your abilities minutes ago," the troll shaman mused.

"Come on! Why can't this thing feel anything else than the wish to eat us!? It's so tiring. I wish we could somehow influence it to go back where it came from," Sour Sweet stated. Suddenly her eyes started to glow in all colors of the rainbow, one after one, until they returned to normal.

"Oh ho! Sour Sweet got some neat new magic, I just know it!" Lemon exclaimed in excitement.

"That was... freaky. But I have my magic now, yes. You are right Lemon, it's called Emotion Magic. Finally! it's time to kick some monster-butt!" Sour Sweet explained enthusiastically.

Her eye color changed from its usual moderate indigo to purple. It represented 'Confusion'. She shot a purple beam of magic out of her glowing palm upon their foe.

"Take that you freak! And leave us alone, please!" Sour Sweet shouted.

The demon considered which victim it would attack first. One of them could shoot fire and seemed to have other abilities, too. One could use lightning and one created copies. It would attack this one first. They all together could pose a danger.

Then it saw how one of the two it thought of as harmless attacked with a purple beam of light, but it didn't look dangerous at all. The Terrorbeast was confident that it could withstand the attack with its bigger body.

The beam hit and in some way it was right. It didn't harm the body, but the mind. Out of nowhere, the demon felt highly confused and disoriented and stumbled to the left and right, shaking its head desperately to regain control of its senses. It screamed in fury, annoyance and a little uneasiness.

The moment they saw that the being was out of it because of Sour Sweet's magic, they decided to attack.

"Indigo! Try to aim for the weaker parts of the creature. The head, chest and wings. I will attack it now with more of my fire," Zecora explained immediately. The girl in question nodded.

"I can still use some of my remaining energy to create one or two illusions when someone is in trouble. I will save you with a switched illusion in this case. Sour Sweet, use more of your purple magic, whatever it is, and keep it under control," Sugarcoat said in a hurry.

"Alright! I will give my best," Sour Sweet answered. Her eyes were purple still.

"Hey! I want to do something, too," Lemon pouted, mock-insulted. "Oh, I know! I will cheer you on," she stated simply.

But the others didn't hear her anymore. They already started attacking. Zecora shot two fast fireballs at its chest, setting the feathers on fire, which made the monster scream in anger and slight fear. Indigo zapped the right wing with lightning, destroying some of them and even one of the thorns.

The demon was disoriented, but not blind. It saw them and used its demonic fire breath to attempt turning Zecora into ash. Sugarcoat saved her with quick reactions, creating a double of the troll beside her and switched them out, not a moment too soon.

"Thanks, my friend," Zecora said gratefully.

"No problem," Sugarcoat replied shortly. She was now more out of breath. The girl with the twin-tails had maybe one illusion left.

"Indi! Incoming from your left!" Lemon Zest shouted from behind.

The with an eye twitching athlete shot herself in the air with lightning-empowered feet, dodging in this way the swing of a claw. She landed safely back on the ground.

Without her friend's warning she wouldn't have seen it in time, the girl couldn't count on Sugarcoat or Zecora in this moment. Both of them were occupied, too. The being breathed fire again, but because of its confusion without aim and they could dodge with a strong jump to the left. Sugarcoat could have sworn she smelled something, her hair was slightly burned, luckily nothing caught fire.

Sour Sweet shot one purple beam after another, a fault from her side. She forgot Zecora's short lecture about magical exhaustion. The sudden tiredness surprised the girl. She stumbled and fell to the ground. Unfortunately, she landed with the right leg on melted and strongly heated tar, results from earlier attacks of the demon.

"AAHHHHHHH!" Sour Sweet screamed in great pain. The tar burned the skin on her leg and gave her-at least first degree burns.

The others heard their friend's screams, but much worse, the Terrorbeast heard it too. It broke out of its confusion and looked now down upon easy prey. It attacked immediately with the green horn on its beak. It shot a green fluid that would have killed the girl, but Zecora was there in time. The moment she heard her scream, she knew that Sour Sweet had greater problems. The shaman charged with all the speed and strength she could muster to her fallen ally and closed the distance very quickly. She erected a water shield above them and the green fluid hit shortly after. It made hissing noises upon contact with their protection and ate without problem through the road beneath it in seconds. Highly concentrated acid, it turned out.

"I'm here for you," the troll whispered to the screaming girl in a calming voice. She used the healing effect of her water aspect and soothed the pain a little bit.

"T-Thank you Zecora." Sour Sweet hugged the troll.

She calmed down and the pain was much more bearable after the shaman's treatment. Zecora smiled warmly.

"How dare you!" Indigo Zap screamed at the beast in anger.

She shot again with Lightning, but not bolts like before, but one big beam of blue electricity. The beast tried to dodge with all the speed and agility it could muster, but couldn't escape completely, because the girl was nearly in front of it. Both of its tails were annihilated from the attack and some lightning jumped on its right hind leg, creating a big bleeding flesh wound on the thigh.

It exhausted the Shadowbolt completely, but in her mind, it was totally worth it. "Hehe. Gotcha," she taunted in a mere whisper.

Indigo fell to the ground, lying there immobile. The girl was unconscious.

Now the Terrorbeast was truly mad. These little things were causing much more trouble for it than they were worth. But the demon wouldn't retreat without killing at least the one who hurt it the most, Indigo Zap. It slashed with all its might at the girl's body, destroying the entire road completely and causing a small earthquake. Again, it didn't work, much to the creature's fury.

Indigo lay in the same position like before on the ground, unconscious and not moving, but now beside a very tired Sugarcoat, who didn't fare much better. The girl lay beside her friend, but still conscious.

"That was the-” Sugarcoat took deep breaths, “-last thing I could do," she stated, completely exhausted herself.

The demon knew that they were helpless now. That would be its chance to kill two at the same time. So it took it. The Terrorbeast took a deep breath, to burn them alive with black flames. Zecora wanted to intervene, but she was too exhausted after using so much mojo. Especially the healing spell. And no tonic she made would stop such a great and enraged foe. Sour Sweet couldn't concentrate enough on her magic because of the still not quite numb pain in her leg.

It breathed out and the flames flew mercilessly in the direction of its victims. The Terrorbeast gave this attack more of its power. It felt and looked clearly exhausted now.

But someone never used any magic at all since everything started, and was fit still.

A big wall, made of darkness, emerged in front of the endangered duo. It stopped the breath, shattering in process.

"I don't think so, dude!" Lemon Zest exclaimed, now very serious.

Her usual smile was gone. She didn't take kindly to those who wanted to kill her friends.

"Wait, that doesn't make any freaking sense! You are a loud, carefree and mostly happy, rock-music listening teenage-girl! How can you use something evil like dark magic? From what Sunset Shimmer mentioned, only malicious beings use that kind of thing!" Sour Sweet questioned her friend extremely baffled. Zecora and Sugarcoat were curious, too.

Lemon looked with a sad smile in Sour Sweet and Zecora's direction, "I guess you misunderstand something there. Let me explain. Baconhair stated that some kinds of magic are declared as 'Dark Magic', because they count as dangerous or 'evil'. But she explained to us, too, that she didn't know herself why they count as dark such exactly. Only that her rulers said so and because of negative examples in their history.”

She crossed her arms under her chest and glared at nobody in particular, “And why? Just because something can be dangerous? That's so not cool and stupid in my book. Yes Sour, I can use Shadow Magic now, but I don't suddenly feel more evil or something like that. When I don't have my morning coffee, then I'm grumpy, but I feel great at the moment. So don't worry. I mean, hey, the little voice who told me that I have this power now didn't sound like some evil world conqueror dude who is imprisoned in my head and wants sweet sweet revenge on the world now. That would be cliche. Or maybe magic works differently on our world and doesn't drive you to Loco Island. Who knows? My point is, I really don't think that magic on its own can be evil. It always depends how the one who wields his/her power uses it in the end. Magic will be declared as 'evil' because of the harmful effects it creates, but in end it wasn't really responsible. I mean, come on. I saved two of our besties. That's not evil at all.”

That didn’t answer Sour Sweet’s question.

Lemon felt saw her friend’s distrustful body language, “Why can I use this magic? I don't know. OK, maybe I have a little idea why, but that isn't important right now," she voiced her opinion.

"Wise words indeed, Lemon Zest. You are right, but some magic exists solely for nefarious purposes, remember that. Pure magic on its own has no evil intent or will to harm, but some forms serve this purpose. Some magic attacks hurt or even kill to prevent others from stealing ancient treasures for example. Other forms exist to spread suffering in the form of curses. In the very end it just obeys its users will, the purpose it was created for, nothing more," Zecora supported the green-haired girl.

The demon meanwhile was positively furious and had to catch its breath after another wasteful use of energy. Another enemy?! If it knew the danger from the beginning, it would have used another approach and killed them easily. But the Terrorbeast underestimated its prey. It couldn't run very well with three legs and most feathers were burned or destroyed, so it couldn't fly anymore either.

It refused to give up though, shortly before its victory. Four of five were exhausted and couldn't fight back anymore. They would be easy to kill. Only one threat remained. The Terrorbeast charged with its last vestiges of strength in Lemon Zest's direction to end the girl's life with its claws. Well, as fast as it could with only three functioning legs. And it had a long way before it reached Lemon.

150 meters left.

"Lemon Zest!" Zecora, Sour Sweet and Sugarcoat screamed in fear for their savior’s and friend's life.

The magician in question sighed in disappointment, “Sorry dude. I would have let you go, but you wanted it the hard way," she stated with finality.

The Shadowbolt did the first part of her group's name credit and focused her entire Shadow Magic in one attack. She didn't know much about it, just basic knowledge, as was the case with everyone else. But she knew enough so that she could assemble and shape darkness in one place in a form of her choice in a certain range, it just needed enough time and concentration.

Lemon chose a point five meter in front of her. A dark pool of fluid darkness with a diameter of one meter appeared at her chosen place.

The demon advanced further, hungry eyes on its victim.

120 meters left.

"I will tell you something, I have this neat ability. It's called, Shadow Lance. There are two ways I can use it," she started to whisper, not happy at all how things went.

The behemoth moved in average speed for a being its size, limping heavily and determined to end the life of its last standing enemy.

100 meters left.

"First, I create a two meter long lance in my hand, made of my darkness, and enhance the chosen hand with more magic to give me a power boost. I can toss the lance at very high speed, but not so much precision, so it's more luck if I hit something, to be honest. It costs me less magic," Lemon explained stoically.

The giant hippogriff stumbled again, ignoring the pain in its body. It was fueled by rage and lust for blood.

60 meters left.

"Then I have to use much more magic and concentrate my darkness at a chosen point beforehand. It assembles there in form of a little pool, like a puddle of water, and gets thicker in time until the lance is ready. This ability has a secondary effect; I can't toss it myself, but I don't need to. I can create a crosshair with my magic on my chosen target, the Shadow Mark, again under limited range. The lance, which comes out of the darkness, will be very fast too. An accuracy of 100%. It will hit its mark, without question," she continued, glaring at the charging beast with stubborn resistance.

It was hungry, so hungry. No more attacks, just a simple meal. One bite with its mighty beak would be more than enough for the job. It was ready to devour the still standing ex-student of Crystal Prep. The proud demon ignored the assembled darkness beneath it and didn't feel how the elegantly-formed black crosshair came into existence on its unprotected throat, aiming directly for the brain.

10 meters left.

"I'm sorry..." Lemon finished, sadness in her eyes. She snapped her fingers. The lance came straight out of the darkness to take its target's life, like a shot from the most efficient ballista ever.

The terrifying predator opened its beak and lowered the head to fill its stomach. It never saw it coming, or could have known that the death sentence was already signed. The lance hit through its mark, directly into the brain.

Out of shock from the sudden attack on the throat, it reared its head high into the air and screeched out a last deafening cry of death before it fell down on its left side, never endangering the unmoving Lemon Zest at all. The ground quaked from the impact. The mighty Terrorbeast found its end.

Lemon Zest fell down to the ground, panting heavily. She had to make the protecting wall extra strong to match the last breath's power. The rest of her magic was depleted from her Shadow Lance.

"Lemon, that was AMAZING!" Sour Sweet congratulated happily. She limped a little because of her leg.

"Truly, I've rarely felt that much tension before in my life. You saved not only us, but the citizens of Ponyville, too," Zecora agreed proudly. "We will deal with the Soul Prisons when we have recovered."

"HEY! I'm happy like you, but could someone be so kind as to help Indigo and me here? We worked hard, too, you know?" Sugarcoat announced, annoyed and still lying on the ground from the excessive use of her power.

The other three laughed, much to the girl's irritation.

“If I could actually move...” the prone girl growled.

"I think we have had enough excitement for one day, surely. Let us return to Ponyville. Cheerilee will already be worried and she won't feel at peace until we are back," the shaman stated the fact, tired herself.

"Meh. How bad-" Lemon Zest almost said, but was interrupted.

“LEMON!” her friends shouted.

“Sorry! Withdraw,” she said with a silly grin, knocking on a nearby tree just in case.

"Where are they?!" Cheerilee shouted in frustration and worry.

Zecora and the girls were gone for six hours by now. Six hours! They should have been back a long time ago, at least two or three hours. Why didn't they come already? Did they start a fight with someone? Seriously, it made the fuchsia-haired woman nervous.

"What should I do if they won't return? I have to go to Sweet Apple Acres and ask for help. Yes, the principals are there. They'd know what to do," Cheerilee said to herself to calm down.

The ex CHS-teacher was wandering around in Zecora's shop a long time. She tried to relax, but couldn't. Something had to happen.

Someone knocked at the door.

"Finally! Zecora you have much to explain and I don't care if you are taller or stronger or use mojo! Are you even listening, you-" Cheerilee opened the door just to see a person she didn't know at all.

The woman in front of her was the very definition of beautiful. Quite exotic, too. And she wore a wonderfully crafted royal purple robe, which hugged her figure perfectly. She couldn’t help herself and blushed a little.

"G-Good a-afternoon, welcome to Zecora's Herb Paradise. My name is Ms. Cheerilee, standing in temporarily. What can I do for you Ms...?"

A bright and kind smile adorned the woman’s face, "My name is Luviel Dawnseeker. I am an Emerald Elf, in case you are wondering, my dear human. How you can help me remains to be seen, still. I'm here, because I research the different kinds of magic and I felt strong wards, made by a shaman. Their origin led me here to this lovely home. Tell me, are you the apprentice of this 'Zecora'? Is she human, too? That would be remarkable, because humans have normally only one talent, as far as I know, and never had two humans exactly the same. Moreover, shamans can control fire, earth, water and wind, so it wouldn't count as only one talent. I would love to study this rarity. I'm quite good in researching magic-related topics. So tell me, please. Are you now a shaman or not?" Luviel fired one question after another, eager to learn something new.

"No, no! She is a troll shaman. I just take care of her home as long as she is gone. Zecora is an old friend of mine. She and... friends of ours are on a personal mission. Something about Camp Everfree, but I don't know any details." Cheerilee replied with wide eyes.

She saw the sour expression on the elf's face.

"Is something wrong, Ms. Dawnseeker?"

"Just Luviel is fine and yes, I am worried about your friends, if what you are saying is true, because this 'Camp Everfree' doesn't exist anymore. The camp and sadly their co-directors, too, fell victim to the Adepts of Khom," the Emerald Elf answered darkly. "I will explain to you what I know, but before I do that, please tell me about yourself, friend." At the end of the sentence, the redhead smiled warmly again.

Cheerilee told her a little about herself and why she waited here for Zecora and the girls. She would have provided tea or something else to drink, but didn't entirely trust Zecora's new taste. Besides, all labels were written in some strange language; it had to be Tro'ju, she surmised.

Luviel gave Cheerilee a short summary. She told her how she met Vyndrak and Filthy Rich, about the fate of the camp, her own observations, that it was now an outpost for the warlocks, Filthy Rich's new role, Gloriosa and Timber, and lastly how they started to summon demons.

"That's horrible!" Cheerilee shouted in disgust, fear and anger.

The poor co-directors! This woman even said that they were brother and sister, ended with their souls literally ripped out. Now the former teacher of CHS was really worried about the others. What if they met these adepts? Or worse, real living demons? She didn't want to think about it.

Luviel seemed to see the rising panic on the woman's face, because the elf put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down, "Don't worry too much about them. I would have felt it if Vyndrak would have used his magic again to take innocent souls. Such dark and sinister spells leave an unpleasant... 'imprint', you might say. We Emerald Elves feel the use of higher powers, stronger when the purpose is negative and nefarious, because of said imprint," she explained with a smile. She was sure that her little lecture would help the poor woman's mentality.

But Cheerilee wouldn't calm down. In fact, it didn't make her feel better at all, "How can you say something like that?! For all I know they are already hurt or worse! I will go there immediately and help them!" Before she could take a further step, Luviel positioned herself between the door and the eager woman.

"Are you serious? From what you told me just now you are no magician yourself. That being said, the warlocks I mentioned to you? You know, the soul stealing fanatics I told you about? They would eat you alive. Perhaps literally. So please, calm down and have faith in your fellow humans," Luviel scolded.

"B-But the students, they are-" the educator tried to mention her thoughts, but Luviel gave her no ground.

"They are in good hands. This 'Zecora' seems to be a capable shaman. You should trust in her judgment and her magical abilities, or ‘mojo’, as trolls are calling it. Besides, we have our own task to accomplish." the elf said in a mysterious tone.

"'We'?" Cheerilee inquired nervously, unsure if she liked where this was going.

Luviel’s smile intensified in sweetness, "Of course my dear! I explained to you what the warlocks did to the former directors of the camp, Vyndrak stole the siblings' souls and abused them for his goals. A Soul Prison can only work most effectively as a receiver for the spell they cast when they place them on the highest points of the chosen place.”

Realization took place in the human’s eyes, “So you are to take care of these abominations?” She sighed in relief, “That’s good to hear.”

The Emerald Elf nodded briefly. “Indeed. I came here for two reasons: Firstly, I needed someone who could help me to orient myself here in Ponyville to find the high places and I didn't trust the other humans in this town, because they are already mostly under 'their' control. Secondly, I hoped to find and convince the shaman to help me with destroying the prisons and freeing these poor souls. I'm very sure that the crystals are guarded by demons and I don't know how strong they are," Luviel finished her explanation with an innocent smile.

"W-What?! As you already stated, I have no magic. Why do I have to help?" Cheerilee asked, irritated.

The elf sighed in frustration, “I watched Camp Everfree from the distance to make sure that Vyndrak wouldn't harm the other humans. After they were gone and safe I didn't expect him to return with his own force, nor that he wanted the camp for himself. He just told me that he planned to find Filthy Rich, nothing more. And I needed my spell dagger back, so I helped him.”

But the teacher at heart didn’t want to give up so easily, “Ms. Dawnseeker. I’m confident that you can tackle all your problems on your own. From what I heard you are a very capable woman. You just have to believe in your abilities, that’s all.”

Luviel chuckled dryly, “I’m immune to such tactics. The problem is more that these other adepts may be 'only' foot soldiers, but they are still warlocks and I couldn't attack this many alone. Later, I wasn’t able to follow them too closely as they hid the crystals when Filthy Rich brought them into the town, because they summoned two Frost Hounds at this point. I had to be very careful so that they didn't pick up my scent. Those little demons are annoying, I can promise you that. The second problem was Vyndrak himself, or 'Punisher Vyndrak', as his full title goes, accompanied Filthy Rich. He alone can give me a worthy and tiring fight. I couldn't risk it with this many demons and warlocks at once.”

Cheerilee smiled nervously, “A-And that means?”

“So in order to make it right I plan to free this town from their mind control and save the suffering souls. Do we have a deal?" the Emerald Elf asked hopefully.

"OK, OK… but you still didn't tell me how I could help you," the human woman replied in defeat. Her head was hanging low by now.

"Here." Luviel gave the fuchsia-haired woman her spell dagger with its emerald green blade, "This weapon can serve a few purposes. One of them is to disrupt the magic of demons and warlocks. I'm sure Vyndrak doesn't know about it, otherwise he would have tried to destroy the dagger. At least it will work for a few spells and curses. The Soul Prison counts among them. I know you are wondering how and why, but let us just say that my kingdom has its fair share of demon problems in the moment and we don't go deeper into it for now. The point is that you are using this dagger on the prisons to free the soul. Just hold the blade onto the crystal for some time and it should work. Meanwhile, I will stop the demons from attacking you. Are you OK with that?"

Cheerilee knew exactly why she never liked Daring Doo books. Adventures were much too unhealthy.

The insane woman, so the educator thought of the elf, wore an elegant red cloak to hide her face and body from other humans and they went into the Ponyville Cathedral, one of the two biggest places in town.

The cathedral itself was built in the Roman style. The building had round arches of white marble, arched windows of brown noble wood, pillars with blocky chapters, cubelike capitals and citadel-like walls with emphasized massive amounts of stone, carefully crafted to give it an admirable look.

Cheerilee asked one of the priests where the way to the campanile was, but he dismissed her after Luviel interrupted some kind of mind influencing curse with the help of her dagger, saying that the tower would be off-limits for visitors nowadays. The tower would be closed because of ‘technical problems’ and he wandered off, but he showed which door would lead upstairs to the highest point of the cathedral without thinking about it to get his point across.

They went upstairs when they were sure, that nobody was looking. They reached a second door, this time closed, with a sign that said:

No admittance!!!
The campanile is off-limits for an indefinite time. For further informations please enquire at the office.

"No problem, I have my own key," the Emerald Elf said coyly.

Luviel's hand was encased in swirling green colored magic. She put her hand upon the wooden door and it opened of its own accord, ripping the lock out. Cheerilee looked shocked at the elf.

An innocent smile was on her lips, "Oh, I forgot to mention that. We Emerald Elves have a natural connection to the forests we live in. That means the entirety of the flora, trees included. It is maybe just a door out of ebony wood, but it's still wood. You could say I... 'convinced' the door to let me in. And no, it doesn't work on every kind of wood. Like, for example, walls. A door is a little special in this regard." Luviel elucidated.

Cheerilee made a mental note to be careful with wooden doors, just in case.

The two women walked upstairs until they reached a giant room where a big golden ornamented bell, surrounded on either side by two simple smaller silver bells, resided. The top of the campanile. Cheerilee admired the bells and forgot, briefly, the reason why she came in the first place.

Luviel looked around the room and found the dark purple Soul Prison in a corner of the room, guarded by the demon. Or rather, demons. And she really didn't like what kind of demons they were: imps.

Even worse; Lecherous Imps. These demons had a very bad reputation and were even looked down upon from other imp-subspecies because of their simple minded behaviour and endless hunger for sexual activity.

"I found the Soul Prison... and its guardians. Please, for everything that is holy, hurry. I hate these disgusting things." The exotic beauty pointed to the imps, "These are 'Lecherous Imps'. Nobody likes them, even other demons. They are little perverts of the highest degree who do nothing more than shoot small fireballs at you and make dirty talk. They are even necrophiliacs and like to rape corpses. Nothing is safe from their sexual drive. Do yourself a favor and try to ignore them. I will handle everything. You should free the soul," the elf finished her explanation, disgusted and annoyed.

Cheerilee didn't know what to think about that. Were these little things really that awful? She couldn't imagine. How could they be so annoying?

These imps were all only 3'3” tall at the highest. They were skinny, had a little devil tail and entirely orange sharpened eyes. They had grey skin and looked a little misshapen with their bodies. They had long ears to boot and a very long hooked nose.

Then they started to talk in very high-pitched distorted voices when they noticed the women and all bets were off.

"Oh! Fresh meat!"

"The milk tankers have arrived!"

"What brings two hotties like you here?"

"The one without the cloak has beautiful udders!”

"Do you want to touch my stick?"

"You look tight, we should do it, right here, right now."

"Luviel?" Cheerilee asked in a very honeyed voice.

"Yes, my dear?" Luviel asked back, same tone.

"Let them have it, without any mercy. OK?" she asked nicely, but dead serious.

"It would be my pleasure," the elf replied.

The imps saw that as an invitation.

"Pleasure me first!"

"No me, he couldn't pleasure you like I could!"

Cheerilee walked up to the Soul Prison and put the blade of the spell dagger onto it. Luviel killed the imps left and right with her own spells. They tried to hit her with fireballs, but the young elf was much too agile for them. The fuchsia-haired woman practically felt how the magic worked, a little bit.

The only problem in her opinion was that the imps didn't even have the decency to die without being perverts to the very end.

"Oh yeah! She likes it the hard way!"

"Shut up!" Luviel replied highly disgusted.

"Mistress, punish me! Then I will punish you!"

"Do you want to touch my stick now?"

Cheerilee could have sworn her new friend was nearing the end of her fuse.

Finally, Luviel eliminated the last imp and stood beside her. "It works! Look." The elf was right!

Cracks formed over the whole construction and with a final burst it exploded into pieces. The soul was free. A white mass of purest energy flew out of the crystal and took the form of a spirit, an apparition. It was Gloriosa Daisy.

Tears fell from her shadowy cheeks and before she dissolved slowly into white light, she said to her saviors in a saddened and grateful voice, "Thank you. Please... save my brother." Then she disappeared.

Luviel looked sad and happy at the same time. They could save one soul and Cheerilee couldn't hold back her own tears. "I hope she will be in a better place now." she said with puffy eyes.

"I'm sure of that. Now, we have a second soul to save," the Emerald Elf answered in compassion.

The educator dried her eyes with a handkerchief and nodded her head in silent agreement.

In Cheerilee's opinion, the second Soul Prison would be located in the observatory of the local library of the city. It was, tied with the cathedral, the biggest building in the city and the observatory was at the top of the highest floor. The Golden Oak Library.

The entrance was made of oak wood and both sides of the double door were adorned with big golden oak tree ornaments. That and the fact that all bookshelves were made of oak wood, too, were the reasons why the only library in Ponyville was named like this. It was one of the oldest buildings in town and stood under monument protection... and was now infested with a demon plague.

Cheerilee wondered that nobody questioned a person with a red cloak the entire time, but Luviel dismissed her worries and simply stated that the people were more or less out of it, because the curse tried to force every citizen to stay in Ponyville. Many humans wouldn't notice much until the mind control spell was completely lifted.

The plan this time: to get into the observatory over the fire exit stairs on the back of the building. They waited until nobody saw them and went upstairs to the top, until they reached the roof. There was a door, which led to the observatory.

The duo was sure that the normal way would be closed like in the cathedral and Cheerilee went shortly into the library and found out that the door was indeed closed. With big metal chains and metal doors, Luviel couldn't convince metal to do her bidding.

"OK, wait here for me, I'm sure Vyndrak didn't order the same kind of demon twice to guard the crystal. I will go and scout out the situation, then I'll return to you, understood?" the Emerald Elf requested in a whisper.

Cheerilee loved that idea. No demons would mean no danger, at least for now.

After a short time the elf came back, a neutral expression on her face.

"And?" the brave teacher asked curiously.

"I have good news. The guardians are not demons this time, at least not completely," Luviel announced, tone still monotone.

Cheerilee thought she would jump out of disbelief of their luck. Wait. "Not completely"?

"Yes, there are not demons, but Burning Ghouls. They are from Demon Fire infused necromancy used on summoned dead corpses, who are thus resurrected burning undead. Their only desire is to consume the flesh of the living and burn every life to ash. But hey, it could be worse, right?" the elf finished her sentence with faked enthusiasm.

The formerly brave woman instantly fainted out of fear.

"..." Luviel had no idea what to say to what just happened. She sighed in mental exhaustion, “Great. Just great," the elf whispered to herself, annoyed.

She took the dagger from Cheerilee and placed the unconscious woman in a safe corner, where her ally wouldn't be seen easily. Then she went in to save the soul of Timber Spruce.

The observation room itself was big; a hemisphere-formed roof painted with the stars and known planets of outer space. In the room itself stood a big bronze astronomical telescope. Over it, a giant oval-shaped window to look through. The rest of the room was empty, except ashes of former books and shelves. In front of the telescope was the final Soul Prison in all its unholy glory.

Of course, she couldn't forget the guardians. Five scuffling Burning Ghouls. Luviel was sure she could take them, but they were much stronger as they looked and were engulfed by blood red fire, the Demon Fire's influence, no doubt. They looked like typical human corpses; average height and did not have whole skeletons, as some would think. No, they had still little pieces of flesh, tissues, muscles and even one or two half decayed organs at some places.

Maybe it was good that Cheerilee didn't come with her, Luviel figured. She would faint again from their hideous look alone, in the elf's opinion. Besides, the air smelled slightly like burned meat. Not the most pleasant odor.

"I can't attack them directly in this burning state and I have to be careful. Maybe they are fast, or worse, when angered." the Emerald Elf mused quietly.

Hopefully they wouldn't shoot fire at her, too, but she wouldn't bet on that, with her luck in the last while. The only good thing was that she moved silently like a shadow and the monstrosities didn't notice her.

She concentrated her green colored magic into two green spheres and shot them at the same time upon two of the corpses. It erased the most part of their bodies in a small explosion of her magic. Only three left, but now the rest noticed the elf and sprinted in her direction with screams and groaning noises. So much for the hope that they would be slow.

Luviel ran from the entrance to a half burned bookshelf and climbed to its top with artistic elegance and speed. Not one moment to soon, because her three pursuers surrounded the bookshelf shortly afterwards and tried to reach her with their claws. The shelf itself started to catch fire immediately and the Emerald elf had to abandon her position shortly after. Beforehand, she took out two silver daggers out of her robe, enchanted with runes. She tossed them into two more heads. One Ghoul left.

"Ha! Do you think you can take me on alone?" Luviel taunted the last remaining zombie.

As if to answer her taunt, the last ghoul screamed out an unholy cry. She had to close her ears. Suddenly the still burning Demon Fire from the other corpses left their former hosts and jumped over to the last Burning Ghoul. They took the heads with them. The two daggers were pulled out by the fire and left on the ground.

The former small opponent grew in size to 8'3”, its empty eye sockets burned now not in blood red, but in an ice blue and around the longer, stronger neck assembled the four other heads of the ghouls in the form of a circle. The smaller skulls, like the leading head on top of the body, received the same eye color. They all laughed in unison with ghostly voices, mocking the shocked elf.

"You have got to be kidding me..."

The giant ghoul ran in her direction, but she could save herself with a long jump to the side. The walking corpse crashed into the wall. It held, barely. After the dust cleared from the crash, the ghoul immediately focused anew on its target, the intruding elf. It breathed deeply, pulled its head back in preparation and collected magic. Luviel knew what was coming.

"Oh, we are taking off the gloves? As you wish," she stated, amused.

Her entire body began to illuminate in emerald colored magic. A magic circle in the same color appeared over the entire room beneath the ceiling, filled with runes from her race.

The Burning Ghoul shot its blood red fire breath upon the elf. She herself didn't move at all. It wasn't necessary, because the fight was already over.

In her mother tongue, Elfinay, she spoke: "Punishment of the Forest."

The room was completely filled with a blinding beam of light, which came out of the circle and filled the entire room. The breath of fire was eliminated instantly, the giant ghoul erased out of existence, the burning fires in the room were extinguished and the wooden shelves grew little royal purple flowers all over. They looked like orchids. The room stayed untouched otherwise, a pure ability to preserve and not just to destroy.

"I guess it is over," Luviel said into the room.

She walked up to the Soul Prison. Then held her spell dagger against it until the crystal exploded into tiniest of pieces.

Like with her sister, Timber Spruce's soul manifested shortly. He looked grateful at his savior and said in an echoing voice, "Thanks for saving me. Please stop those insane people who killed my sister and me."

"I will certainly try. Oh, and your sister is fine, too," Luviel replied sincerely and with a small smile.

Timber's eyes seemed to shimmer with invisible tears. Maybe it was just a reflection of the light. The tormented soul dissolved into white light and he left the plane of Earth.

Pride could be heard in her voice, "My work here is done. Cheerilee and I will have a good talk when she wakes up. I mean, come on. I know that undead creatures are unpleasant, but outright fainting? They are not that scary. I've seen worse." The elf chuckled to herself.

She wanted to leave the observatory after she collected her daggers, when something fell out of a shelf; a book. But it wasn't the book the brave scholar had in her view. A little spider scuttled over the ground, her arch nemesis returned: arachnophobia.

The proud elf, Luviel Dawnseeker, scholar by heart, destroyer of perverted imps, bane of the Burning Ghouls, savior of two innocent souls and liberator of Ponyville, conqueror of the mind control curse, knew what to do in this fateful encounter.

She screamed bloody murder.

Outside of the observatory, Cheerilee awoke from the deafening scream. She frantically looked around, confused and in panic. "W-What happened!? Did someone die?! Oh no! Luviel! She must have met the worst and most disgusting demon!"

Author's Note

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Just to be clear, I played Pokemon myself, so it's all pure satire and selfirony. :moustache: And spiders are the bane of many. So the legends tell the tale.

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 10 - A Midnight's Desire

Twilight Sparkle always had some problems and even felt desperate sometimes, since everything started. It was just simply too much to take in at once, and who could really blame her for that? The bus driver, Timber and Gloriosa, Canterlot, these fire elementals and their commander and furthermore the uncertainty if her parents were even still alive. Luckily, her friends always stood by her side and supported the lavender girl in her hardest times.

After Rarity and Pinkie Pie made her understand that they had each other and nothing was lost as long as they believed in the survival of their missing family, it would all be fine in the end. Yes, these thoughts calmed the book-loving teenager down, indeed.

Now, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Spike and herself had only one more problem to overcome. The secret dream of the most extreme ecological activists, or eco-warriors, as Shining Armor called them. Nature itself fought back. In the form of giant, thick, dark green vines, no less.

"I can't stop them for much longer, Darlings!" Rarity announced loudly, with growing exertion.

After the vines started to attack, the three friends summoned their Geo Power and made themselves ready for combat. They could dodge a few times with success and after some time the plants started to attack in a more coordinated manner. Rarity used her diamond-formed shield to prevent the attackers from reaching the group, but the first cracks started to spread over the barrier around them because of the never-ending onslaught.

Twilight got an idea, "Pinkie! Can you use your sprinkles to bomb us a way out of here?"

"No silly. Normal sprinkles can't destroy magical plants.” She giggled and snorted. “Buuut I brought this with me in case of baking emergencies. I'm sure it will do," the party planner replied happily.

She took one little can out of the abyss known as her hair and showed it to her friend. Twilight read silently the label and was baffled that something tooth decaying like this existed in the first place. On the can was written:

Mega Sprinkles! - With a big extra portion sugar

Careful: much more effective than common sprinkles!

"My spell is breaking! I would be much obliged if you could hurry!" Rarity warned in panic with a strained voice.

The shield shattered.

"Take that, you meanies!" Pinkie Pie shouted heroically and tossed a lot of the sprinkles in a single direction, which was blocked by two vines.

The resulting explosions via Pinkie's sprinkles were much stronger than expected and the vines broke in two at the center of the detonations where most sprinkles were assembled. A sprinkle-made path was created.

"Quickly!" Twilight shouted urgingly.

The girls and Spike ran through the opening and thought they could escape, but one vine managed to grab Twilight's right ankle and pulled the girl back with force.

"Wahhhh! Help!" the bookworm pleaded helplessly.

She couldn't use her magic to help herself. Levitation never stopped the plants earlier, the girl tried that already; it had not much effect on them. Her magic only annoyed the living flora. Twilight didn't know why, she could push this kind of magic-infused plants aside in their fight against Gloriosa when she opened a way for Spike, Sunset and herself in the giant vines that had surrounded Camp Everfree. Without breaking a sweat. She could do the same later when her friends helped the girl to embrace the Magic of Friendship to overcome Midnight Sparkle and she could pull the vines apart with ease afterwards. Why didn't it work now?!

"Hold on Darling! We are coming!" Rarity assured purposefully.

Pinkie and Spike followed right behind her, the hyperactive girl was mumbling something about 'not having a party-cannon to shoot sprinkles'. The fashionista herself was surprised she could move like that, dodging all incoming attacks for quite some time. She blamed adrenaline and the life-threatening situation they were in.

Spike tried to force the vine to release his owner and friend with bites, but the plant ignored the loyal dog's effort.

The vines finally wrapped themselves around Twilight's other two human friends, making sure to bind them strongly.

"Ahhhhh! Not the hair, you ruffians!" Rarity voiced helpfully.

"I think we're in what most people would call a 'tight situation'," Pinkie joked with a strained smile, much to Twilight's dismay.

The purple canine could dodge every attempt of the vines to catch him until now. Sometimes his small stature sure was handy. Suddenly he smelled two very familiar scents and ran off, barking with vigor.

"Spike!" Twilight called confused after him. Where did he go?

"I think he found something. Maybe the little dear is searching for help," Rarity voiced her opinion in hope.

The earth broke apart beneath the group and a giant olive colored flower, more like a giant maw, appeared. It looked like a Venus flytrap, with sharp, long teeth. It screamed sharply and made itself ready to devour Twilight first. Pinkie Pie and Rarity could only watch, unable to aid her.

"Twilight!" the aforementioned girl's friends shouted in desperation.

Was that it? Would she die like this? Eaten by a mutated plant? Twilight didn't want to perish in such a cruel way!

"What's wrong? I thought the Magic of Friendship always saves the day? Oh, I forgot, you need all seven of your little 'Friendship Club' to blast something with your rainbow. Here, let me help you," a horribly familiar voice mocked in her mind.

It couldn't be...

"Midnight Sparkle?" Twilight whispered to herself in shock. Her vision went white.

Twilight's vision returned and she stood on a lavender colored platform, a big symbol , a magenta star, was imprinted on the top. Around them was the same light-filled, fuchsia and violet colored background as when she encountered her other half before. She was in her mind again.

“Welcome back Twily. I missed you," said someone with Twilight's own voice from behind the lavender girl.

This voice just sounded much more assertive and confident. She turned around.

"Midnight Sparkle! I thought I got rid of you. I-I don't understand. The girls helped me to defeat you!" Twilight replied with a little venom in her voice.

"Didn't you listen when I talked to you the last time before your meddling friends appeared to save you? I said: 'You will never control me. I will always be a part of you.' I meant it exactly like that, you naive fool," Midnight stated mockingly.

The spirit laughed.

"No! You are no part of me! I embraced the Magic of Friendship and with the help of my friends I can defy all odds, I know it!" Twilight answered emotionally.

Midnight groaned in annoyance, “You are so unbelievably stubborn. I am you! There is nothing you can do about this fact, it's an unavoidable truth. I know what you know. We have the same memories. I felt what you felt in the past. I saw what you saw. We are exactly the same, but I have more control over our magic. I'm sure you already asked yourself why your magic didn't work as well as in Camp Everfree, so let me enlighten you. Furthermore, I represent your desires to a point and have much more self-esteem. You may see me as the cool big sister and you are the nerdy doormat." Midnight chuckled at her own joke.

"Hey!" Twilight shouted, insulted.

The dark angel continued in a smooth tone, "Last time when we saw each other, you and your friends forced me to play by your rules. That was the reason why you had control over our magic and were able to use your little levitation with such strength. I recovered in time though and it didn't hurt my pursuit of freedom when you felt down because of the last events. So I took control again over the biggest part of our magic and everything that was left for you was a weakened basic levitation spell," Midnight smugly finished her explanation.

"You can't do that! My body is your body, too! If you work against me then you will ultimately endanger your own life," Twilight concluded fearfully.

"I know that myself, thanks for the brilliant deduction. Your conclusions are as keen as a razor like always, Detective Sparkle." the powerful teenager said facetiously.

Twilight pouted in embarrassment with puffed cheeks.

Midnight circled around her counterpart with a satisfied smirk, "I had to bring you in trouble, because you wouldn't come to this place otherwise. I have a solution which will make both of us happy," she said in a sly tone.

"W-what are you talking about? I won't let you harm my friends!" Twilight declared in full conviction.

The magical entity walked up to her twin until they stood nearly nose to nose, "Have you forgotten what Shimmer told us? Or should I say, you? Let me remind you..."

She put a hand, shimmering with turquoise colored magic, to Twilight's forehead and showed the girl their short private conversation after Commander Raga's attack.

"You did what?!" Twilight screamed deafeningly.

"Calm down, sheesh. Yes, I embraced my other half again, the she-demon from the Fall Formal. No reason to rip my head off," Sunset repeated, worried about her eardrums.

The nerdy girl couldn’t believe it, "No reason to-why didn't you tell us?! We have to make that right, we have to-" Sunset closed the girl's mouth with her hand.

"That's exactly the reason why I didn't do it. The others would panic like you and there is nothing to worry about anymore. Please, trust me. I only told you about it now with a good reason," Sunset stated. The girl hoped that she could talk with her friend about it and the bookworm wouldn't start to hyperventilate.

"Reason?" Twilight inquired, confused.

"Yes. I thought that my inner demon was gone for good, but she returned and I realized, after a long talk, that she always was a part of me and not my enemy. I was just never ready to accept her, because I feared I would go back to my old ways as a bully again by extension. So I refused to see the truth right in front of me. My point is that I don't think it's over for you, either. When my other half still existed, then that means..." Twilight finished the sentence for her friend with wide eyes.

"Then that means that Midnight Sparkle might still be inside of me, too," squeaked the terrified girl.

"Yes, but you have to let her in. Embrace her as a part of you again. I fear you won't find your human magic before you do it, like me. You have to reason with her," Sunset explained in a serious tone.

"What?! No! No, no, no! I can't do that! She, no, we nearly destroyed this world because of our hunger for knowledge about magic. I refuse to endanger others like that again! Do you know how it feels to nearly commit the biggest mistake of your life?" Twilight asked in panic and fear.

All the lavender girl received as an answer was Sunset's best deadpan stare.

"Oh... right... hehe," Twilight mumbled, blushing.

She remembered Sunset's former plan of ruling Equestria with a mind controlled army of teenagers and the stolen Element of Magic.

"Still, you said that I'm not her and in charge of everything. How can you say now that I should embrace her?!“ she wanted to know, irritated.

Sunset sighed. "You might say that I learned something I didn't want to for a long time. Twilight, I always wanted to follow the path of friendship like Princess Twilight showed me, but after everything that happened I had to acknowledge that the real world doesn't work like that. Terra isn't Equestria. Conflicts won't always be solved with the power of friendship alone. I really want to avoid unnecessary conflict, but when others threaten what is most important for us, then we. Have. To. Fight. We have to do what we think is right. The problem is, there won't always be an easy way out or an option available that we would prefer as a solution.”

The lavender teenager smiled sadly, “It seems you took Ms. Celestia’s speech to heart.”

Sunset Shimmer returned the gesture with a wry expression of her own, “Well, we all needed the cheer up.” She lowered her head in thoughts. “I guess we can't always search for the errors in others just because it's much easier. I blamed my other half for everything since the Fall Formal. She was the 'evil' being in my mind, but in reality she was only the representation and, through magic, the manifestation of my wishes, desires and pride. In the end she was still me. I was just so focused on making her and the 'old Sunset Shimmer' forgotten that I didn't think about learning from my mistakes and making it better in the future. I simply believed that the Magic of Friendship would guide my way and that I should trust in it like the princess said. The 'demon', me, both of us... we learned from the past and are one again. As it should be.”

Twilight wrapped her arms around herself, as if protecting herself from the cold. A wave of uncertainty filled her mind, “I don’t think I can do that, Sunset. I just… can’t.”

Sunset playfully rolled her eyes and put a comforting hand on the other girl’s shoulder, “Try to communicate with her. You both need each other and one of you will always be incomplete without the other one. I know you don't like it and have second thoughts about it and I don't blame you. In fact, I can understand you very well. But believe me, it needs to be this way. And from my own experiences... it will work." the Unicorn-turned-human finished her exposition with an understanding smile.

Twilight was still not convinced. Could she really talk with Midnight Sparkle? Only the future would tell. Hopefully, so Twilight thought, this ‘necessary talk’ could wait for quite some time.

"Sunset was right, you know? We really need each other. Besides, I want to feel my own body again, to be a part of one and no longer exist as a separated spirit in the limbo known as your mind, created by magic. So, are you ready to accept me again? Can we be one once more? I think we both understood that the wish to understand something can't be achieved solely by destroying everything." Midnight asked her twin with hope.

"I-I'm not sure” The book lover feared that this moment would come. But what to do? Perhaps it was worth a try and if she should fall again, then the girls would be there for her. “No, you are right. Embracing Friendship doesn't mean that I should forsake my scientific curiosity when it comes to magic. And always living in fear of the next magical disaster I could cause if I'm not supervised doesn’t sound like a compelling option. OK, Midnight. I will trust you. Don't make me regret it," Twilight warned, very serious.

"I'm glad you see it like that. But there is just one little hook." Midnight replied in an innocent tone.

The glasses wearing teenager didn't like the sound of it.

"What 'hook'?" she asked suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing major I promise! But you see, I don't want to be a simple part of you again like before, but my own being, to simplify it. I will use my power to fuse back with you, but I will continue to exist in your-our body. You could say I will play the role of your conscience. A very talkative one, so I can always give you helpful advice." Midnight declared with the same tone, still.

Twilight didn't see the mischievous expression of her twin, because she thought about this proposal with closed eyes, in concentration.

"Seems reasonable. And that won't be schizophrenic? Talking with you I mean? I don't want to be seen as crazy," Twilight enquired nervously.

"Oh please. We tried to destroy this entire dimension to reach Equestria. We've been way beyond the point of being called crazy for a long time. We can talk in your mind so you don't need to use your mouth. Call it a form of telepathy," Midnight assured smugly.

That didn't make Twilight feel any better; more the opposite. How many people thought of her as crazy by now? How many just didn't want to hurt her feelings? Were they fearing her craziness? Was she to them a ticking time bomb?

And if so, she couldn't understand why. Well, OK, she had to concur that she acted a little bit stressed when she was tardy for deadlines, but which normal person wouldn't?

It wasn't like she would suddenly use some kind of mind changing or forbidden spell to make people go crazy so she could just somehow deliver results in time. The absurd thought alone made the lavender girl chuckle. Twilight was sure her Pony counterpart never did something insane and morally wrong like that, so why should she?

"Sparky, calm down! Honestly now! You take everything much too seriously and that is coming from your magical twin. It was just a joke..." Midnight intervened, annoyed.

The other teenager’s eye twitched at the nickname.

"Of course. Hehe. I knew that! I wanted to test you. Yes, exactly! Testing your... quality as my future conscience. You passed!" Twilight said quickly with red cheeks.

Midnight wasn't convinced at all and gave the nervous girl a deadpan look.

"OK, I'm ready. Beam me up!" Twilight exclaimed with enthusiasm. Midnight could only facepalm at the misuse of that catchphrase.

The dark angel used her magic to become one with the girl once again. Twilight didn't know that Midnight cast other spells on her. The spirit would use their effects when it was necessary, or at the right time.

The entire mindscape was illuminated by swirling lavender lightning and the star on the platform started to glow. The last thing Twilight heard before she returned to the real world were two words; the name of her magic, "Arcane Magic."

"No!" Pinkie and Rarity screamed in terror. The carnivorous plant would pull their friend further into its maw every second.

Nobody knew about the lavender girl's talk with Midnight Sparkle. What was a long talk for the teenager in her mind translated to only seconds for the others in the real world, it seemed. Twilight used the very disliked phrase, ‘Magic - Don't question it’ to keep her sanity intact. She didn't like it when something happened and there was no possible scientific explanation.

The girl in question had to orient herself again. She felt it, her new magic and focused. Instincts and a little basic knowledge told her what she had to do in order to escape. Her body was surrounded by magenta colored energy, much to the surprise of her friends and the hungry plant. In a flash of light she disappeared, free of the Venus flytrap's iron grip.

"She's gone!" Pinkie Pie screamed dramatically. "Oh, wait. There she is," she continued suddenly with a calm voice. The hobby party planner looked at her previously vanished friend.

Rarity moved her head and saw Twilight. She stood, unharmed, on the other side of the deadly hole, quite safe.

She just teleported! Twilight was excited over such an impossible feat. She literally dissolved into atoms and put herself together at another place. A big number of possible experiments shot through her mind. It was unbelievable for the girl.

"Look who is enjoying herself." Midnight Sparkle said, amused. “You're easily impressed.”

Oh, right. The enthusiastic scientist knew she forgot something important. "Midnight?" Twilight asked unsurely in her mind.

"In the flesh... more or less. Focus, girl! We are not out of the woods yet. You have to save your friends." Midnight commented.

"Our friends," the new magician answered stubbornly.

Midnight was confused by her statement, but didn't say anything in return.

Twilight focused her magic again and encased Rarity and Pinkie Pie with it. In a flash they stood beside their savior.

"You're alright!" Pinkie shouted happily and hugged her friend with with force. Rarity ran behind a bush.

"That was fun! We should do that again! Who is up for a second round?" Pinkie Pie asked excitedly. The girl discovered for herself that she loved teleportation.

Meanwhile, Rarity emptied her stomach behind her cover, overwhelmed by nausea and disorientation. She tried very hard to stay clean, with success. "I refuse to do that again. Ugh..." the fashionista voiced her opinion about Pinkie's idea.

Midnight laughed in Twilight's mind, "This girl has even the stomach of a lady! But I have to give her deductions for unladylike noises. I'm sincerely disappointed in her." Twilight couldn't help but chuckle at her twin's bluntness.

"D-Darling! Do you think that was funny? The nerve!" Rarity exclaimed angrily. She thought that her friend was amused by her situation.

"What a sissy," Midnight mumbled.

"Rarity is no sissy! Not everyone can handle something like teleportation on the first try. I'm sure of that." Twilight tried to defend her friend's honor.

She could have sworn she saw a mental image of Midnight how she rolled her eyes.

"Twilight Sparkle! Are you even listening to me?" Rarity asked, slightly insulted. First her friend chuckled at her plight and now she ignored her, too?

"W-what? Oh, I'm so sorry Rarity! I didn't laugh at you, I swear! I just chuckled because of Pinkie's... hair. Yes, it tickled me," Twilight replied nervously.

The lavender teenager really didn't want to explain to them that Midnight Sparkle was now there, too. At least not yet.

Rarity looked at her friend, still not really convinced, but let the matter rest.

"And here I thought we were the best of friends, like sisters," Midnight said, mock-insulted and laughed.

Twilight groaned mentally. Would that be the norm for her now?

"Duh," Midnight simply stated.

The dark angel heard Twilight's thoughts when she focused enough, because they shared one mind. But it worked both ways, Twilight clearly felt her twin's annoyance when Rarity voiced her displeasure about her situation.

"Who are you, Rainbow Dash?" asked an annoyed Arcane Magic user. She received no answer.

Well, back to the situation at hand.

"Darling, are you OK? You spaced out there for a bit and I fear the confusion of that brute won't hold for long." Rarity asked in concern.

Twilight made a mental note to be more careful in the future. She didn't want to look weird every time she spoke with Midnight, "I'm fine, don't worry. I just thought about a method to get rid of that thing. I don't trust myself enough to teleport without much practice over high distances, for example back to Sweet Apple Acres and we can't just let it be. It's too close to the farm and uses its flowers to lure innocents to their death, it could endanger the other students as well."

"My little star! You're alive!" a newly arrived female voice shouted.

Spike came running, followed by two very happy parents, Twilight Velvet and Night Light.

"Mo-mom!? Dad!? You are alive!" Twilight replied in sheer joy.

She ran at a speed Rainbow Dash would be proud of in the direction of her parents and hugged them tightly, crying tears of happiness. They did the same. Spike followed immediately and was very relieved as well to find his adoptive mother/friend/owner safe and sound. Rarity and Pinkie Pie smiled, touched, tears in their eyes because of the happy scene in front of them.

"Young lady, we looked everywhere for you! Your father and I came to Sweet Apple Acres, because it was one of our last remaining options, before we would have looked for you at Camp Everfree. Luckily, we met one of your schoolmates, a girl named Trixie, on the way. She had to buy new tools in Ponyville or something like that. We bought some supplies there and bags to carry them, you may never know. But that doesn't matter. We came to the farm where we met Mrs. Smith. She said that she saw how you and some of your friends walked in this direction,” she exposited. There was a brief pause. “My little girl is OK!" Twilight Velvet exclaimed in pure joy.

"We are so happy to have you back, Twily." Night Light looked kindly at Spike. "And you, too, Spike."

"Thank you. I missed.. you... too. Oops," Spike replied sheepishly, noticing his mistake too late.

Twilight could only facepalm at her dog's carelessness. Her parents looked at the family’s dog for a few moments with hanging jaws, then at each other, then back at Spike, then at the very nervous looking Twilight and again at each other.

Finally, Velvet said in a serious tone, "Twilight Sparkle! Is there maybe something important you want to tell us? Were you doing any experiments on Spike?"

"Busted. Well, at least you don't have to hide your abilities and everything else from our parents anymore," Midnight pointed out helpfully.

Her twin noticed immediately that she called them ‘our’ parents, but when she told her to save the girls, she only titled them as Twilight's friends. It made the lavender girl curious, but that had to wait.

"Mom, I-" Twilight couldn't finish her sentence, the earth began to quake and the vines attacked again.

"W-what is that?!" Velvet screamed fearfully, Night Light didn’t fare any better.

"This mean hungry flower wants to play again. Twilight, do you have any ideas?" Pinkie Pie asked her friend, interested.

Rarity tried to stop the incoming vines with her shield again with everything she had. Calling Twilight Velvet and Night Light ‘surprised’ would be the understatement of the century.

"Y-yes. I have a plan. We-" once again someone interrupted the lavender teenager. It was this time a very protective Twilight Velvet in mother-mode, who awoke instantly from her awed state of mind in the moment she heard how her daughter was planning to come close near danger.

"Oh no, you don't, young lady! Whatever that is, you won't endanger yourself. That is my final word!" Velvet stated without discussion.

"But mom!" Twilight tried, but her mother would have none of it. Midnight laughed, she found it hilarious.

"I said: 'No'! My baby won't get hurt or worse because of some giant vegetable monster. Not under my watch," came the harsh response.

"Velvet dear, normally I would support you, believe me. But I think we should trust hert in this regard. I think our daughter and her friends know much more about the entire situation than we do. Isn't that right, Twily?" Night Light queried with a half smile.

He silently promised his daughter that they would have a long talk later. The youngest of the family understood the unspoken message.

"Thank you, dad. Mom, I know you don't like it, but before you interrupt me again, listen to me, please. I have... powers, magic. My friends and I can help everyone. So please. Let me do it."

Twilight Velvet looked with a troubled expression between her husband and her daughter, sighed deeply and accepted defeat, still not liking the whole situation at all, "OK, but be careful, you hear? Or you are so grounded."

Their daughter nodded her head. The young magician was grateful that her mother trusted her. Somewhat.

"Twilight, dear, normally I absolutely adore such touching family reunions, but I must say, Darling... HELP!" Rarity demanded with growing tiredness.

Twilight concentrated her new magic into her hands and created ten spheres of arcane magic. Arcane Spheres, for the ten attacking tendrils. They surrounded Rarity, flying around the strained girl in a circular formation. Under a lot of strain and concentration, the lavender girl gave the signal.

"Now, Rarity!" she ordered and her friend complied.

"OK! Here they come!" the fashionista announced warningly.

The instant she let go of the barrier, Twilight shot her spheres upon the attacking plants, destroying and turning them into ash on contact.

"That was unbelievable!" Pinkie shouted in excitement. "Rarity was like: 'I can't hold the shield for much longer!' And the vines were like: 'We will get you! And your little dog, too!' And you were like: 'Taste my magic, you little-" Rarity stopped the girl from further rambling and put her hand on her friend's mouth.

"Pinkie dear, as much as I love your lively expositions of the past events, I think we get it. We were there," the lady-like teenager told her friend in patience.

The party planner just smiled cluelessly. Spike shook his head.

"That was-but-and you... Twily, were you taking some mysterious, unknown drugs by any chance?" Velvet sincerely asked her daughter.

"Mom!" Twilight replied, blushing madly and felt a little insulted. Her friends and father giggled at her plight.

"Twilight! There is something coming fast from beneath you and it. Is. BIG! hurry, teleport everyone somewhere safe!" Midnight suddenly shouted worriedly.

The girl listened to her ‘conscience’ immediately without any questions. Midnight wouldn't demand something like that if it wasn't important. Twilight teleported everyone to an open field to their right, a good distance away.

This time Twilight Velvet and Night Light suffered from nausea and had to hold their stomach contents, Spike was just confused how they got there.

"Woohoo! The second time was even better. I felt like all my worries ceased to exist!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed with a silly grin.

Rarity only felt a little better than the last time and had to fight the urge to void her stomach again. She gave Twilight an annoyed and slightly poisonous look. "Why did you do that again?" the fashionista huffed.

The answer followed soon. The earth literally exploded at the position where the group stood earlier and a giant monster appeared. It was a Gluttonous Evergreen, one of the newly created beings of the Everfree Forest.

It was, in fact, a creature made of not one, but two olive colored flesh-eating plants, each on one elongated stem, reinforced through thickness, and they were the heads of a tall walking body, made of wood, plant matter and fungi. The second head must have had its place for luring prey some distance away from the encountered one. That was what the group thought, at least. It was 12 feet tall in total and had... not really legs, but thick roots with big yellow-white fungi overrunning them, which caused them to be formed like something similar with two foot-like appendages. The fungi themselves emitted yellow steam over their surface and were thin but long, formed like uvulas. The rest of the body was made of dark red wood speckled with single fungi and dark green plant matter, thus formed like a humanoid body. Instead of arms with hands it had on each side 15 of the former attacking dark green vines, three on the right side, the side of the head they encountered. Two were destroyed by Pinkie's explosions and ten from Twilight. It had no facial expression, but from its aggressive stand alone and how it created crackling noises, it was clear to them that this being was very sour about the fate of its vines.

"OK, I didn't expect that," Midnight ended the silence with worry, for Twilight.

"H-How did you know that it would come out of the ground?" Twilight asked her twin, nervous and curious at the same time.

"I think because it's alive through some sort of magic. I kind of... felt how a strong magical presence moved in the underground and came suddenly closer after your attack," Midnight mused. She was a little astonished herself.

Rarity voiced the same question, "Darling, I think I own you an apology for my rude behaviour before, but how did you know that this hideous thing would come out of the ground to attack us?"

Twilight repeated the answer from Midnight as her own. The others looked interested at the girl, especially her parents.

"That was awesome, Twilight!" Spike said with a wagging tail.

Pinkie gasped loudly, “Do you have a Twilight Sense?!" she demanded to know with a giant smile and stars in her eyes.

"N-No Pinkie Pie, I'm pretty sure I don't have something like that" Twilight replied dryly.

"I second that, because it would be a 'Midnight Sense' in this case, anyway." the free spirit agreed smugly.

The other teenager’s eye twitched in annoyance.

"I'm glad everyone is alright, but our ‘friend’ is coming," Night Light commented in growing tension.

"I didn't survive Canterlot and all these crazy things that attacked the town just to end as fertilizer!" Twilight Velvet announced in anger. "And I won't let you harm my family!" she continued.

Velvet took a few stones and tossed them at the Evergreen, it ignored the stones or swatted the sharper ones aside with its vines. It started to run faster and sent some of its left vines at the attacking mother.

"Mom!" Twilight shouted and stopped the incoming vines with levitation instead of spheres.

First, to save magic in case this fight could go for much longer and second, because the massive use of the spheres earlier and the three teleportations really took it out of the girl. Especially the last one where she teleported six at once in a greater distance. For a beginner like her, it was exhausting.

But the lavender girl just stopped the three vines which approached from the front and didn't see the the vine from the right. It hit her hard upon the side of her head. She fell down to the ground with a bleeding wound, unconscious.

Midnight sighed heavily in the mindscape. she hoped that she could have kept her placed ‘safety measures’ a secret for longer, but she had no choice. The dark angel activated a on Twilight put spell on that would make it possible for her to control their body, in case her nerdy twin would lose her consciousness, to protect them from danger. It was originally meant for situations without many witnesses.

Now she had to improvise and play Twilight until said girl returned to the world of the living. Just great. Midnight hoped she could fool the others long enough.

"Twi... Twili... Twilight?! Are you OK?! Please, talk to me!" Velvet shouted at her daughter, tears streaming down her cheeks like fountains.

She held Twilight's body protectively in her arms and was desperate. Midnight felt the tears upon her face, opened her eyes for a little bit and turned her head. What she saw surprised the teenager.

Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Night Light and Spike tried their best to stop the two-headed plant from devouring them. Pinkie Pie had little amounts of sprinkles on hand to stop the incoming vines from reaching them, but her supply was as good as empty. The remaining left head focused on... a rapier wielding Rarity with a completely new outfit?

Wait, wait, wait. 'Remaining’?

Indeed, the right head was cut off somehow. Was that the deed of the prissy girl? Midnight was very confused. Did she miss something? Spike stood in front of Midnight and Velvet. He bit furiously into every body part which dared to come closer, and Night Light took over the task of tossing stones for his wife, with bigger and sharper ones.

But that wasn't all. Everyone had to position themselves a good distance away from the carnivorous plant, because the environment around the attacker was slowly filled with yellow steam.

Midnight opened her eyes completely and locked them with her crying mother. She liked the warmth of Velvet's caring embrace. The magic-created spirit wished her mother would embrace her like that, too. Not only, because she cared for Twilight and thought she would be her. At least she didn't transform into her true form, the twin thought. That would have been awkward.

"Mom?" Midnight whispered, disoriented. She maybe could take over their body, but the girl felt dizzy from the assault, still.

"Oh, Twily, you are awake!" Twilight Velvet said in pure joy and hugged ‘Twilight’ even tighter.

"I'm fine, really. I need to stop-"

"No! I thought for a few moments that this thing killed you when I saw you lying on the ground with a bleeding head wound! You are not OK!" Velvet emphasized.

Midnight touched her pounding skull and regretted it instantly. It hurt. But the wound was carefully treated with bandages. Her parents must have had them in their bags, the injured girl figured.

"Mom I understand, but please. The others are getting tired and I have to help,” ‘Twilight’ reminded in a pleading tone. Even if she didn't really have a choice, because the nerd would be very mad if she didn’t do something to help them. She didn't need such drama. “But just out of curiosity... where did Rarity get the weapon and new outfit?" Midnight asked.

"Hmm. I'm not entirely sure. I can tell you shortly what happened, from what I saw..." Velvet answered truefully.

Rarity saw how one of her best friends laid unconscious and with a bleeding wound no less on the hard cold earth. The mother ran immediately to the side of her daughter, calling her name, tears in her eyes and her father searched for a little first aid kit they bought in Ponyville. Spike whimpered and Pinkie Pie looked distraught and with fear at Twilight, her hair lost some of its puffiness.

The fashionista couldn't protect her friend with a barrier, because... she felt exhausted. What a pathetic display from her, the girl thought in silent fury. Rarity felt herself responsible for what happened, that if she only would have reacted faster, then Twilight wouldn't be in this state. She was angry at herself, but mostly at this monster, which dared to harm one of her best friends.

If only she could fight! Having the ability to create barriers was nice and all, but defense alone wouldn't stop aggressive foes like this one. She wanted to make this creature pay. Even a lady like herself wouldn't stand idly on the sidelines any longer. That, Rarity swore. She took fencing lessons, because it was an elegant sport in her opinion. One of the few fighting sports which demanded true grace. The beauty of a perfectly balanced rapier and the hard work behind it was something the young woman could admire for hours at once.

Rarity once told her friends about her little hobby. Applejack and Rainbow Dash, these ruffians, laughed loudly and said that fencing was nothing more than’"Frou-frou Swordplay’. The nerve of those two! Pinkie Pie just smiled at her. Twilight wasn't at CHS at this time, Sunset wasn't sure what to say to her and only Fluttershy supported the fashionista with her whole heart. The kind dear was really a precious angel.

Her entire body started to glow a royal purple, like her hair. Knowledge filled her mind. A sophisticated voice of a woman echoed in her head, "Duelist Magic."

As the light died down, the others could only stare in astonishment at Rarity. The girl herself nearly squealed at the gorgeous clothing she wore.

Her hair changed back to its original state, before the geode had transformed her. The stone itself was now around her neck, protected in a thin white locket, supported by a silver colored necklace. Her clothing was much more suited for her new magic, too:

Black, long, elegant boots, made of a sturdy, but still very soft fabric, flat-heeled, protected her feet. Her legs were surrounded by five purple segmented plates, one plate for the entire shin, one for the knee area and three small ones for the upper leg to the start of her hip. The hip was protected with purple fabric, the shorts and the plates had cyan highlights at the edges. Everything was fitting together perfectly so that no skin was exposed at all and free movement was ensured, still. The shorts were secured with a black belt, in its center a cyan colored diamond. Her upper body was garbed by a dark blue musketeer shirt, with a purple belt around her stomach. Above the shirt was an eye-catching non-segmented armor, around her shoulders, lower arms and chest in the same color scheme like the plates on the legs and shorts. The girl wore on her hands smooth, tight fingerless black gloves, a cyan diamond as decoration on each of them. Lastly, Rarity had a black cavalier's hat with a long purely white feather. It didn't disturb her hair in the slightest; that was most important for the young fashionista... and no green. She hated that color. It would simply be the worst possible thing!

"Uhhhhhh! Rarity, you look great! Like a superhero, just with a much better costume!" Pinkie Pie judged joyfully.

"Thank you, Darling. I appreciate the compliment... I think. But I must confess my new attire is absolutely divine! And my new magic, Duelist Magic, fits my sense for grace and detail very well," Rarity replied gushingly, admiring her own new outfit.

Since the transformation, she didn't feel the pain in her ankle from the fight with Commander Raga any more. Maybe it was because of the magic. Or the pain might return after she transformed back? Well, that was a thought for another time. Now she had to help. And help, she would.

She wasn't fully finished yet, but her magic gave her the information how to summon her own weapon, too. So she held her hand out in front of her and concentrated.

In a purple flash of magic her weapon appeared. It was a rapier blade, of course. The hilt was silver and fancily built. In its center rested a big white diamond. It was seen on both sides of the hilt. The blade was pearl white, 1.3 meters long, made from an unknown material. The alloy glistened in a mysterious white light of its own.

The young woman looked determinedly at her opponent and decided to give everything she could, "It is on, you ruffian!"

Rarity charged the attacking plant from its right side, the one with fewer vines, sidestepped the remaining three easily thanks to her lessons and attacked with purpose. The left vines couldn't help, because Pinkie Pie somehow built a crudely made sling and rapid-fired very small amounts of sprinkles to stop them from attacking her friend. So they changed tactic and focused on the fun-loving girl instead.

One of her new abilities Rarity could already use was The Duelist's Eye. This ability made it possible for her to find out the weak points in the defense of her opponents or the weaknesses of the enemies in general. If possible, that is. In this way, Rarity could attack with precision, speed and the right amount of strength.

Her eyes created white diamond-shaped symbols on every weak point of the Evergreen: on the top of the two heads, the necks and the center of the body. Only the fashionista could see them. Rarity mused that this being may have some structure in its body, similar to some kind of core or a heart in the body.

Now came the hard part... actually managing to hit the right places without ending up as a meal.

The right head saw her attack as a chance to feast and it charged with open maw at Rarity. The girl anticipated something like that and boosted her speed for a few moments as light cornflower blue magic engulfed her feet. She dodged very swiftly to the left with a few steps and before the right head of the Gluttonous Evergreen could turn around to try again, the young woman charged at the exposed neck and hit the marked point.

The desired effect followed in a blink of an eye.

The head was cleanly cut off and fell to the ground, dead. A green fluid came out of the open neck, but it didn't touch the girl. She activated her magic again to gain higher speed and ran out of range, positioned herself beside Pinkie Pie and was starting to prepare for an assault on the second head.

Suddenly, the aforementioned head made loud rustling noises. The yellow steam, which left these strange shrooms, shot out of every fungus in large amounts and condensed itself to a thick fog, protecting the monster. The team had to retreat a little so that they weren't in range.

"So.... has anyone an idea of what to do next?" Spike asked with a deadpan.

"And then you awoke, Twily," Velvet finished her short summary.

"So Rarity managed to discover her own form of magic, this... 'Duelist Magic', summoned her own armor and weapon, cut off one head, with, from what you said, nearly inhuman speed in some parts, the second head was angry and this thick yellow fog started to surround it. Did I miss anything important?" Midnight summarized analytically.

She was, in many ways, exactly like Twilight. Her mother would have signed this statement. The girl was just much more assertive and more striving than her twin and if necessary she would use harder methods to achieve her goals.

"Yes," Twilight Velvet answered patiently.

The writer was already accustomed to the antics of her daughter, always trying to formulate everything in a complete and logical essay to catch every single detail. Typical Twilight.

"Twily!" Night Light shouted happily and hugged his daughter, too. Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Spike did the same, when they saw that their friend was awake.

"Darling! You are fine!" Rarity said with wet eyes.

"When we are back at Sweet Apple Acres, I will throw you a 'Twilight-you-are-fine' party! Well, if Granny Smith allows it. She didn't permit the party I planned for Celestia, because it would 'waste too much food and we have to save it, with so many people to feed' or something like that. I mean, duuuh, how can you waste food when everyone will enjoy it at a party?" Pinkie Pie said innocently.

Sometimes Midnight wondered how Twilight could stand this girl, especially in situations like now. How should she react? Ignore her? Scold her? Hit her? After a few moments, Midnight was sure the last option was very ‘Not-Twilight’ and too suspicious. Luckily for the girl, her mother took away this hard decision.

"Hmm. That thing stayed there now the whole time and stopped attacking, I'm wondering why," she mused in confusion.

"Maybe it is careful now? It lost a lot of its vines and some are burned or damaged. Furthermore, it lost one of its heads. I think this fog serves as some kind of defense mechanism," Night Light analyzed.

"I love it when you show your intelligence in dangerous situations," Twilight Velvet said with a seductive voice.

"How you protected our daughter and attacked this monstrosity first was very sexy, too," Night Light replied in a similar tone.

Spike ignored the ogling duo, but he was confused about the reactions of the girls. Rarity and Pinkie Pie released the hug very fast and blushed furiously, but Twilight was even weirder. She looked like she searched for a way to hide herself or to run away, he wasn't sure. Her head was red like one of the apples from the farm, both eyes twitching. Spike felt himself confirmed once again... humans were just weird. They always reacted embarrassed or in some other strange way in such situations. He couldn't understand it. Yes, humans were weird, indeed.

"Mom! Dad! Please!" Midnight shouted in sheer shame. Why couldn't they do something like that when Twilight was still in charge?! Why her?

"Oh, sorry honey. I couldn't resist your father's charm," Velvet stated, chuckling. Night Light rubbed the back of his head with his hand in embarrassment.

Midnight groaned and closed her eyes. Then she felt it. Previously, she was wondering how she was able to feel how this thing came out of the ground before it actually happened. Now that she was in charge of the body and could explain it better, she was able to literally feel the magical aura of someone or other things, too and could judge their strength. At least when it was noticeable.

So she was sensitive to magic? Interesting.

For the start, there were her parents, Twilight Velvet and Night Light. They had a weaker aura of magic. She guessed that meant that they had stronger magic inside them than the average, but weren't necessarily able to use it in an active way. Like mages could. Well, not everybody would be able to use magic like that. It was just logical for her.

Then there were Rarity and Pinkie Pie. Both girls had a very strong aura. Rarity's was a good deal ‘brighter’, so to speak. It was hard to explain for her. It just felt more ‘awake’. Midnight was sure that was the case, because the duelist discovered her own magic already and the pink impossibility not so much. Her magic from this world still slumbered. But both felt like they had... two sources of magic?

Ah, of course! That must be the magic from Equestria. It made sense now.

The geodes were filled with both powers as well. They just felt strange to her, like they had both forces of magic inside of them, fused into a new form of energy she couldn't explain or understand at all. The Equestrian magic was much more strongly represented for now, but still.

Finally, Midnight focused on Spike. The dog had a little bit of Equestrian magic. She was sure it was responsible for his ability to talk like a human somehow. He had a second magic too, like everyone else of their group. It only felt much more... feral, yes. Like a storm waiting to be unleashed, or a wild dog, in Spike's case. It really felt like it was ‘chained’, not free like the magic of the others. It was strange.

Midnight was wondering what would happen if she would use her power to unlock these chains. Would he become stronger? Faster? Or bigger? Would it be dangerous for him? Could something very bad be happening? Twilight would never forgive her if something happened to her dog.

After comparing the pros and cons, the dark angel decided she would try to release the dog's inner magic. She was sure Twilight would understand it somehow and forgive her one day. This experiment had to be conducted in the name of science and the pursuit of knowledge! At least Midnight hoped that her twin would forgive her.

"Spike?" Midnight asked unsurely.

"Yes, Twilight?" Spike asked back.

He found it hilarious the first time after the Friendship Games. Twilight always talked to him from time to time, like before he was able to talk. Out of habit, of course. She acted shocked every time and looked at him in awe when he just answered or had questions on his own.

“Well, I can kind of feel magic that made it possible for me to teleport everyone in time. I concentrated and I realized that I can feel the magic of any person or being that has a strong magical aura. That being said, I felt how you had two different sources of magic inside of you. The Equestrian magic for example." Velvet and Night Light looked lost, but interested at their daughter. "It was somehow responsible for giving you the ability to talk. And then there is the magic from this world." This world? Now the parents just were very confused.

"So?" Spike enquired, interested.

"I felt that your own magic is kind of... well, 'chained', you might say. I think I can unlock it with my magic and let it free. Like it normally should be," Midnight replied, still unsure about her idea.

"Cool! So I will be some kind of super-dog? Like Scooby Doo? Or Lassie? Or Pluto? Or-" Midnight interrupted his fanboy behaviour. It creeped her out when the dog did something like that.

"Spike, focus! I don't know what will happen. We will have to test it." the dark angel answered with a smile.

"Darling, do you really think that is a good idea?" Rarity queried, worried for the little dog. The girl’s last attempt of understanding something new ended with her descent into this horrible Midnight Sparkle, who nearly destroyed their world.

"Yes, I'm sure of that," Midnight reassured Twilight's friend.

Why were they always so extremely careful when magical experiments had to be made? Without risking something for science they would never discover the greater secrets and connections of the magic from this world or finding new knowledge in general. It annoyed her. It was all about trial and error!

"Is something wrong, Dearie?" Twilight Velvet asked the pink girl, who had been looking for some time in the direction of the Evergreen.

"Hmm... I'm not entirely sure, Mrs. Sparkle. This yellow fog got a lot denser and I can't see this meanie anymore. It didn't move, either. The whole time," Pinkie explained in a confused tone.

"You're right," Night Light agreed.

A happy smile plastered itself on the chipper teenager’s face immediately afterwards, "I know, right? I've had a whoooole lotta situations where I was right, but my friends or others just looked at me like I'm not right at all. But when I'm right, then others can't be right, or were they right, too? Maybe everyone was right all along, or nobody had the right to be right and we had no judge at our hand, who could speak right.” A giggle-snort escaped her throat, “I mean, that would be really funny if someone who has the job to speak right and fulfill the right couldn't be understood, right? Right!”

Midnight had to stop herself from groaning the heavens. All the headaches!

The pink menace continued with vigor, “But sometimes I heard it's very wrong to be right. In the political sense, you know? I mean, everyone drives on the right side here, but maybe sometimes the time isn't right and we have to make decisions, which aren't right at all, or we judge something as right or not right ourselves. How would that look in a courtroom? The judge has to be right, but when we know we are right and the other side of the court demands to be right too and declares that the side knows her rights... then I think something isn't right. Are they thinking right? Or are we thinking right? How do we find out who is right? In the end it could happen that nobody was right, but one side broke the right, am I right?" Pinkie finished her rightful speech of rightness at high speed, with a squeaking sound.

Everyone was confused 1000 times over and decided to ignore what just happened for the sake of their sanity.

Midnight was sure she was very, very close to an aneurysm. Would Twilight really be angry at her for hitting the girl? She would even try to hold back. Maybe. Did they have a silence spell in their arsenal at one point? It would be the gift of the gods.

"I'll just ignore the last 60 seconds of my life." the dark angel muttered to herself. She looked at the fog and concentrated. She couldn't feel anything at all.

"Hmm... It seems that it's possible to block my ability to feel magic. I can't sense anything through this fog, like this being vanished out of existence. But to return to you, Spike. Let us try it out. I'm sure everything will be fine." Midnight assured sweetly.

What she didn’t know, such behaviour wasn’t out of character for the real Twilight Sparkle at all. Spike, as her ever so faithful number one assistant, had his fair share of purple insanity in his life and knew her tone very well.

It ended mostly in explosions and them being covered in soot.

"No problem. I'm trusting you, Twilight." Spike answered in good faith.

The teenager would have laughed like a maniac, but it would've endangered her disguise. Bad habits of the past.

Midnight focused her own magic in her hand, mixed with Twilight's, fearing the moment of truth. But much to her relaxation, it was still purple. She was lucky that the body was mainly poled on the body's main owner and didn't use the color of her own magic. Even when she used some of it as an extra to break the chains. The dark angel was sure that Twilight's friends didn't forget what her magic looked like. They nearly fell into Equestria because of it.

She put her hands on Spike's head, concentrated on the chains, forcing her will and power upon them. She could feel how the bounds tried to hold, but they were no match for Midnight's magic. They broke and Spike's inner magic was set free.

The kind dog's body was surrounded by brown colored magic and his form started to change. He grew.

After some time the magic vanished and everyone could see the new form of the formerly small dog. Midnight was never this happy to share one body with Twilight. That meant she couldn't really harm her. Rarity just fake-fainted, otherwise her magical new attire would have disappeared.

The former cute little dog had now the stature of a big, heavily muscled, dark-colored wolf. From the size alone Midnight had to correct herself; very big. This was a Dire Wolf, with at least a three meter shoulder height. Spike's brighter shade of purple changed the color entirely to a dark indigo. His chin and underside, formerly in pale green, were now dark olive green. His ears were dark green and the grass green fur on the top of his head was now dark sea green. The nose stayed black, and finally there were his eyes. they changed from their former green to a blazing blue. Even his voice changed. He spoke and looked down at the seemingly smaller humans.

"How do I look? I feel amazing, guys!" Spike spoke with his new, very deep, humming voice. Midnight truly hoped she and Twilight couldn't share dreams.

"Fluttershy would have a field day here," Pinkie Pie replied in pure awe.

"Spike, you look... gigantic!" Night Light answered unconvincingly.

"Y-Yes. it suits your... dominating personality," Twilight Velvet added. The presence of the Dire Wolf made her nervous.

Rarity awoke from the short loss of her countenance and voiced her opinion, "I think you look dazzling, Darling! Sorry I reacted in such a way at first, but I was simply not prepared for such an event to happen. Twilight, that is your handiwork. tell me, what do you think?" the fashionista asked this question in a serious tone.

She really wanted to know what her friend had to say to the fact that she turned her cute little dog into such a ferocious-looking, but still majestic, in her opinion, sight to behold.

Midnight had to act fast, but she knew how Twilight would react. No, no she didn't. Maybe the girl would cry, but such a behaviour was beneath her. The powerful twin had still her pride, "Spike. I think you are always perfect the way you are, no matter how you look. I will always love and know you as my Spike,” she said with a faked teary voice, supported by a smile. She was sure she nailed it.

"Wah! Stop the mushy speech, Twilight! Please." Spike pleaded, annoyed. "Besides, I can always change back."

To prove his point, Spike's body was encased anew in the brown colored magic and after the light died down, the little dog was back again. Midnight thanked every higher entity who listened to her prayers.

"I can switch between both forms. You released my inner magic that caused the transformation from a dog to a wolf, but I don't have to always be like this, if I don't want to. Unlike many animals, who were changed forever. I can choose. And my awakened magic is called Feral Magic, from what a strange voice said. From what I understand, the Equestrian magic played a role in that, but I have no idea how. You are the scientist, not me. Besides, I can chase squirrels much better in such a small form in tighter areas,” Spike concluded his explanation, panting, tongue out like a normal dog.

The dark angel heard everything, but most importantly for her was that Twilight wouldn't annoy her, because she abused Spike for a badly ended test and her own desires or something like that. Everything was fine, the potential crisis was averted.

"Look! The fog is dissolving!" Pinkie Pie announced. Midnight really groaned this time.

After the yellow cloud disappeared, the Gluttonous Evergreen showed itself, whole again. With two heads and all its vines on both sides completely healed.

"Seriously? This thing regenerates itself through this fog?" Spike asked, annoyed.

"I think we have to destroy it entirely in order to take its life, so that it can't regenerate, I presume," Rarity mused and readied herself for a final battle.

"I have no more sprinkles. Sorry girls," Pinkie Pie commented sadly.

"Don't worry. We will end this once and for all," Midnight stated coldly, determined.

Friends and family were very surprised. Twilight was much more assertive than usual, in their opinion. But it wasn't necessarily something bad in a situation like this.

"Twilight, are you sure? You were hurt the last time that thing attacked." Velvet asked in worry. Night Light looked concerned, too.

"I'm sure. Don't worry mom, dad. This thing won't know what hit it," Midnight answered with a sincere and friendly smile.

"I will help this time as well," Spike said and transformed into his Dire Wolf form again. "I will destroy the vines with my claws and teeth. You should take out the two heads,” he continued with his deep voice. Rarity and Midnight nodded.

"Here I come!" Spike shouted gleefully, then howled like the wolf he was and charged at an incredible speed toward the Evergreen. The plant noticed its approaching big opponent quickly and sent all of its 30 vines at the same time to make sure that its prey would fall this time. It wasn't enough for Spike.

"Ha!" the canine exclaimed, amused, and focused magic on his claws of the forelegs. He was lengthening and sharpening them. They were glowing in brown, wild, swirling magic. With one mighty slash of his claws, all 30 ranks were cut to pieces. The weakly enforced plant matter had no chance against the Dire Wolf.

The Evergreen made angry noises, but its demise came near. Midnight focused one big Arcane Sphere and obliterated the newly created right head to nothing.

"Rarity!" Pinkie Pie shouted in excitement, "Finish it!" Her friend already took action.

At the same time, Rarity used the creature's confusion about the sudden amounts of damage it received and cut the left head cleanly in two from the top of the head, down to the lower part of the stem. She instantly pulled her rapier out of her opponent with graceful movements and rammed it with force deep into the being's center, destroying its core in process. Rarity could feel over her sword how something broke apart.

"Fatality!" Pinkie Pie shouted from the distance in a deep voice.

"Darling, I think we should play it safe this time," Rarity commented plainly.

"Agreed," Midnight replied. She created two last Arcane Spheres and destroyed the rest of the Gluttonous Evergreen's body. It didn't exist anymore. The fight was finally over.

"Give me a R-A-R-I-T-Y! Give me a T-W-I-L-I-G-H-T! Give me a S-P-I-C-" Pinkie Pie couldn't continue for now, because she was interrupted.

"Without a 'C'!" Spike shouted in annoyance.

"Oops! I mean, give me a S-P-I-K-E! You guys were super-amazing!" Pinkie finished in joy.

"I'm so proud of you, Twily," Night Light said, filled with pride for his daughter.

"Yes, me, too. All of you fought brilliantly. You inspired me with many new ideas for new books," Velvet told the team.

Midnight wanted to say something, but she suddenly fell to her knees.

"Twilight!" the others shouted panicky, immediately running to her side.

"Calm down, everything is fine. I guess I'm just not as fit as I thought," Midnight said, closed her eyes and laid herself down on the ground.

She played tired, but the dark angel new the truth. Twilight started to awaken and would automatically gain control once more. The dork was the leader of this body and Midnight was just something like a free spirit with connection to the girl. She knew that. She would never admit it, but she had fun as long as it lasted, even if only for a short time. Midnight felt how she finally lost the connection and was back again in the mindscape.

Oh, how she wished she could have her own body.

Twilight, now back in charge, opened her eyes again, groaning, “I feel like a train hit me," she mumbled tiredly.

"Twily, are you alright?" Velvet enquired with a little worry.

The girl in question tried to focus and saw how Pinkie Pie, her parents, Rarity... Rarity?! What was she wearing? And to her left was a giant Dire Wolf that had a distant similarity to Spike. What just happened?!

Without a warning, images and memories flooded her mind, everything since the moment she fainted to the moment she awoke, like she was there the entire time. But-she-how…!

"Midnight!" Twilight shouted in a booming voice through her own mind.

"Before you get a heart attack, I have to explain something to you," came the sheepish reply.

She confessed to her twin about the spell she placed on her, which would let her take over the body in the case of Twilight's unconsciousness.

"OK, that makes sense. A very clever safety measure from your side. But you should have told me. And we will talk about what you did with Spike later," Twilight scolded. She nearly thought she lost her sanity after the memories appeared.

"I can do something else. You remember that my biggest strength was to create portals during the Friendship Games, right? I can still do it... in a rather weakened form. Instead of ones to Equestria, I can create portals to places we once visited and remembered the details of, but much more controlled and stable. Without endangering the fabric of space and time. This and the power to sense stronger magical auras are my main abilities for now," the dark angel explained in uncertainty. Who knew how Sparky would react to that.

"Thanks for telling me, Midnight. That will come handy for us in the future." the lavender girl stated.

"Twilight?" Pinkie asked for the fourth time in the row.

"What? I mean, I'm fine, Pinkie Pie. Don't worry. I just thought about something. You remember how I opened portals to Equestria, right?" Twilight asked.

Spike, Rarity and Pinkie nodded their heads with grimaces. Well, Pinkie Pie still smiled. Her parents were confused for the umpteenth time this day.

Twilight repeated Midnight's choice of words to describe the portals. Twilight really hated it to lie about her magical twin, but if the images and reactions from earlier about Midnight's experiment with Spike,under the assumption of the others that her twin was actually herself, were anything to go by, they wouldn't understand. The moment she would tell them about the existence of Midnight they would try to do something about the other girl. Or worse, they wouldn't trust her anymore.

She couldn't risk it.

"So you can open portals to places you visited and they are stable? Young lady, we really have to talk, when we find Shining Armor and Cadence. Granny Smith told us that they were gone as well, as we asked her about them." Velvet commented, mentally and physically exhausted.

"Yes mom, I will tell you everything. Except about Midnight," Twilight replied as sincerely as possible.

With her ‘conscience’s’ instructions and some of her magic the glasses-wearing girl managed to open a stable portal, formed like a door two meters tall. It was made of blue-white magic, like Midnight's. In its center was a colored, moving picture of the main house of Sweet Apple Acres.

"It is sad that there is no spa. Well, I think we deserved ourselves a long bit of rest and relaxation," Rarity said, with slight disappointment.

She released her armor and weapon and changed back to her original clothes. Spike took on his smaller form again.

"Rarity, are you feeling better? You ran and fought like your little accident never happened in the fight with Meanie McFirepants," Pinkie Pie asked curiously.

"I know, Pinkie dear. I wondered that myself, maybe I'm in luck. But we should return now. The others may be waiting for our return," the fashionista responded encouragingly.

Everyone stepped through the portal before it disappeared. They were just tired and happy that this adventure came, at last, to an end.

Author's Note

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

In case people are wondering after this chapter:
"Why didn't Pinkie Pie get her magic?"

Or something like that, well, the answer is very simple:
"It wasn't the right time to release the pink, yet." :trollestia:

To better separate the two, I will color Midnight's lines, as long as she is in the mindscape. And now that there are two Purple Smarts, the dosis has been doubled!

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 11 - Don't Surrender and Strive Forth

"Flutters. You can talk to animals, right? Could you, you know, tell them off?" Rainbow Dash asked her shy childhood friend in a very worried tone. These things looked a little too hungry for her taste.

"Them good-for-nothin'...! They ate one of ma' horses! Y'all will pay for that!" Applejack shouted furiously.

They just killed Hector, he was always so full of life and joy! It made the young Apple very angry, but she would wait if Fluttershy could reason with them. Besides, their foes were big, powerful from what she saw and seemed to be made of hard and thick layers of stone and crystal. Hitting them would only result in destroyed bones for her. And that was one of her smallest problems. Still, Applejack was sure as sugar about kicking them off her property.

"I-I can try," the animal lover replied fearfully.

She never tried to negotiate with giant, dangerous, able-to-devour-her-in-one-bite predators before in her life, and it worried Fluttershy. Was she even up to the task? She stepped a little forward and both basilisks looked at the girl with hungry eyes.

But two of her bravest friends trusted her wholeheartedly to find a peaceful solution, she started to speak with them. She wouldn't let her friends down. Not if she could help it.

"Ahem, excuse me. Could you maybe.. leave this farm, please? I mean... if you don't mind that is. You see, the horse you just ate was a nice, innocent farm animal of my friend here and I would appreciate it if you could hunt for food somewhere else," Fluttershy requested nervously.

The basilisks made typical noises of a crocodile and roared a few times for maybe ten seconds afterwards.

"Flutters, what are they saying?" Rainbow Dash enquired curiously. Maybe they decided to leave?

“They told me that I'm a naive and stupid girl for even thinking that they would listen to potential prey and laughed at me. A lot," Fluttershy translated with sadness and tears in her eyes.

Never in her life was she bullied by animals before. It was a new experience for Fluttershy. The pink-haired girl remembered her time as a child at Cloudsdale Junior High. Many kids bullied her there because of her shyness and because she was taller than the other pupils, but Rainbow Dash always stood up for her.

The girl wished she could voice her displeasure about the basilisks’ behaviour. Tell them off and be as assertive as Pony-Fluttershy. Princess Twilight once told her that her counterpart had an ability called: ‘The Stare’. She asked her friend about her after the Friendship Games, after the princess confirmed them their question if they had Pony counterparts in Equestria, too. The teenager was told that this ability was always very helpful in the past with many difficult situations the Ponies faced concerning dangerous animals. Like their group did now.

"Oh, it is ON!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed with new-found courage and anger at the basilisks.

Nobody made Fluttershy cry and got away with it unpunished! Not even magical monster crocodiles. Not under her watch.

"Simmer down, Nelly! Ya wouldn't stand a chance in a direct fight. Those horse eatin' varmints are mighty dangerous," Applejack tried to reason. She was very sour about Hector's fate, but a direct assault wouldn't end well for them.

"Come on, AJ! Give me some credit. I'm too awesome to be eaten and these slowpokes have to catch me first!" Rainbow replied confidently. The athlete used her geode given power to summon her outfit and entered the fray.

"Dang it, Dash!" Applejack shouted, annoyed. She used her power as well and followed her rival as fast as she could.

The cowgirl was forced to take action, if only to prevent Rainbow Dash from killing herself in her recklessness. She would scold her later if-no, when they survived. There was no ‘if’ for her.

Fluttershy was utterly unprepared in every sense of the word. The situation escalated far too quickly for her liking. She stood frozen in place, unsure what she could even do to help. Her attempt to negotiate with the basilisks failed completely. The shy girl feared greatly for the lives of her friends.

The dark green one of the two basilisks attacked first and tried to bite Rainbow Dash, who could dodge, but it was a good margin closer than she thought it would be. They were much faster than anticipated for beings with such heavy bodies.

Rainbow Dash knew she couldn't deal any damage. Her plan was to lure them away from the farm so that everyone was safe, including Applejack's animals. Further planing would be improvised in progress, or so she hoped.

"Come and get me!" Rainbow taunted.

The basilisk with the long thorns on its back started to follow her, like she planned. The second one with red corundum and sapphire on the body had other plans and decided to go for the advancing Applejack.

Much to the cyan colored girl's dismay.

"AJ, are you crazy?!" Rainbow Dash shouted, fearful for her friend.

"Ah could say the same about yerself, Sugarcube! This rodeo needs two cowgirls. We have two bulls to ride," the farmer replied smugly.

Rainbow Dash wanted to reply, but had to run away, and fast. The basilisk used the moment of carelessness from its future meal and attacked. She was caught off guard, her newly attained speed was the only reason the athlete was alive still. She could run out of range before the mighty jaws closed. It would have hit both legs at once, eventually turning her into the same kind of blue statue like Hector earlier.

She wasn't sure whether this transformation only worked over the entire body when the bitten body part was still attached or not, unsure if they would rip off appendages with an attack of their mighty jaws. Rainbow surely didn't want to test out her theory on herself.

"That was much too close... I have to concentrate or I'm dead," the chromatic teenager muttered under her breath. "I'll meet you girls later again, after I showed this thing who's boss. Don't you dare die on me! And Applejack? Protect Fluttershy!" she continued loudly this time for the others to hear.

The farmer nodded her head in a silent promise.

Rainbow didn't wait for further response and ran away in the direction of the bog, her hungry new adversary close behind.

"Please, be save Dashie..." Fluttershy whispered, praying with tears in her eyes.

"Ah'll be. That girl's crazier than a hungry fox in a henhouse," Applejack said, with a shake of her head. She readied herself for the right moment to use her secret weapon on the incoming basilisk.

She brought a lasso from the stable with her before they left to see what was going on outside, just in case one of the horses was running away. Applejack tossed it. Her idea succeeded and the rope caught the basilisk's big mouth around the tip.

Her greater strength made it possible to hold the creature's maw as it tried to throw its prey around with one move of the head. She surprised her opponent for at least two important seconds before she would have lost the contest of raw power. It gave Applejack the necessary time she needed and jumped with one leap on the basilisk's back behind the neck. It enraged her foe.

"Yeehaw!" Applejack shouted in sheer enthusiasm, riding the basilisk like it was nothing special and using a bigger sapphire as her personal saddle.

Her endurance and strength made it possible to hold herself on top of the thrashing animal, which tried ferociously to reach Applejack somehow with its jaws.

"Applejack, you rock! Woohoo!" Fluttershy cheered in her own unique, quiet way.

The basilisk had enough and its entire back, specially the sapphires, started glowing, followed by blue sparks of electricity.

"Tarnation!" Applejack shouted in pain from the created sparks and jumped from the back of the beast between Fluttershy and the predator.

What the girls didn't know was this animal was not only a basilisk, but a Thunderback Basilisk. Besides turning their prey into a statue with a bite as all basilisks could, this subspecies could furthermore emit electricity from its back to attack its prey or to defend itself. This kind of electricity worked in a very controlled manner. It would only paralyze its victim, solely killing it when a Thunderback decided to put more energy in its attacks and would search for someone or something else to prey on. They couldn't gain nutrition from normal meat; it needed to be crystallized first.

The basilisks' prey could only be transformed into a crystalline statue and devoured by them when alive; the process wouldn't work with dead bodies. The reason was that their magic, necessary to transform living matter into edible crystal for them, connected to the inner magic of their living prey and this would cause the transformation. They were modified in such a way that their entire body needed crystallized meat to live. Especially their protection, namely the crystals and different kinds of stone around the otherwise unprotected muscles. These crocodiles had no scaled skin as did the normally known reptiles.

Truly a terrible fate, because even as statues the victims were still aware of their surroundings, not able to defend themselves any longer.

It shot blue thunderbolts at Applejack, but she jumped to the side in time. Still, the girl was touched by one bolt on her right arm. The muscle cells convulsed like she had the mother of all cramps until the pain was gone and her arm stiff and paralyzed. This effect would last for a few minutes.

"Ah can't feel or move ma' darn arm!" the cowgirl exclaimed in anger, looking annoyed at the accused appendage.

A fatal mistake.

"Applejack! Behind you!" Fluttershy shouted unusually loud.

But it was too late for the mentioned girl to react.

The young farmer turned around, just to feel a much lighter bite than expected from such a giant being on her right leg. The basilisk let go of Applejack and waited for the transformation of its prize.

She saw how her body turned to blue crystal, starting at the bite. It spread over her whole body at an agonizing slow rate. However, Applejack couldn't move her body. It refused to, paralyzed by the poisoning magic of the basilisk. She sighed and looked one last time with wet eyes and a warm, nostalgia filled smile in the direction of Fluttershy, who had an expression of sheer terror upon her face. Tears were streaming down her cheeks in great amounts, like waterfalls.

"Ah'm so sorry, Sugarcube. Please, tell the others an' ma family that Ah'll miss them, ya hear?” She chuckled sadly, “Tarnation..." Applejack said defeated and in stoic acceptance of her fate.

Hardly did she make her inner peace before it was already over, the transformation completed, much to the beast's joy. Now it could devour its prey. The proud farmer was nothing more than a cold statue.

The winds carried it into the high heavens, the surrounding bog, Sweet Apple Acres and beyond; The desperate denying outcry of a most gentle soul, who feared that she just lost one of her best friends forever.

"APPLEJACK!!"

In the household of the Apples was... nobody at this time, save for the family's matriarch, Granny Smith. She cleaned the plates from the last meal and hummed peacefully.

Suddenly, she heard something hit the ground and break. It sounded like glass and she immediately tried to find out what happened. The elder found the source of the noise in the living room. One of the framed family photographs fell out of the cabinet.

An overwhelming dread spread in her the moment she took it in her hand and turned the photo around to see which one it was. The photograph showed her second eldest grandchild, Applejack. She was standing with a smug and joyful grin in front of her favourite apple tree, which she named Bloomberg as a child. The protective glass had a big crack that proceeded solely through the middle of her body. Nowhere else.

A bad omen indeed.

Granny Smith walked out of the door and looked in the direction where Applejack and her friends decided to go. They only wanted to look for the horses, if she remembered correctly.

The worried grandmother looked up into the sky, praying, "Please... whoever hears this worried old woman. Protect ma' granddaughter."

Fluttershy wished that so many bad things wouldn't have happened in the last while. When they found the cave of the chimera, she was paralyzed by fear and horror. But when Sunset said it would be better for her to leave, she refused. Yes, Fluttershy had a lot of different kinds of fears. But in the end the girl would always overcome them in order to help her friends and others who couldn't protect themselves, especially animals.

That was the reason she'd worked for a long time at the animal shelter. She wanted to help the poor dears, showing them kindness and to be there for them. Maybe even giving them a home. May it be herself, if her parents were OK with that, or finding a good home for them through potential customers of the shelter.

Then there was Canterlot and everything what she heard and saw until the moment she decided to seek out Applejack's horses to make sure that they were fine.

When Fluttershy saw the burning city, she couldn't understand what she witnessed. Was she dreaming? Maybe it was all just a cruel nightmare and she would wake up any second back in the bus?

Many thoughts shot through the shy girl's head. Was her family even still alive? Her mother, her father, even her little brother, Zephyr Breeze. She hoped they could escape the inferno. Ms. Tree Hugger, the owner of the shelter Fluttershy helped out at, and all the animals. And of course the inhabitants of Canterlot City in general. Who would do something so awful? Fear and sadness consumed herl at that time, but Princi... Ms. Celestia helped the girl with her encouraging speech.

The former principal was right. She couldn't give up as long as hope existed. So Fluttershy wouldn't surrender. Furthermore, it reminded her of something the local veterinarian once said to her in the earlier days of her work at the shelter. Fluttershy had time and time again to deal with death, because animals died of old age or illnesses much too early for her liking.

But the soft-spoken soul couldn't accept it when she was younger...

Fluttershy cried for two hours over the deceased animal's body, looking like it slept peacefully and would awake every second, so that the girl could play with her again. One of her favourite dogs, a female crossbreed with the name Sara, had to be put to sleep because of a severe illness. No medicine could help the poor dear and only releasing her from the pain was a last option of mercy. Ms. Tree Hugger called the shelter's veterinarian, Dr. Noble Heart, for help.

The woman in her mid-thirties had a slight brown skin color, pink eyes and white hair in the style of a long ponytail. She always wore a kind and warm smile on her face that calmed Fluttershy whenever she saw the doctor.

After a last examination of Sara and conversation with Tree Hugger, Noble Heart put the pained animal to rest. They both left the room to talk about business and other things. Fluttershy, in the meantime, sneaked into the room, kissed her friend gently on the top of her nose and began to weep.. up until now. The door opened and the doctor came in.

"Sweetheart, are you alright?" Dr. Noble Heart asked in a soothing voice.

She always had a small weakness for Fluttershy. She was such an innocent angel and it pained her when the girl was sad.

"W-Why? S-Sara was still so young! S-she didn't d-deserve to... to..." Fluttershy stammered.

Noble Heart gave the young teenager a warm hug and spoke softly into her ear, "Yes, you are right. Sara was young and had to leave this world much too early. But you know what, Sweetie?" she asked calmly. Fluttershy shook her head with puffy eyes. "Sara won't feel pain anymore where she is. She can run around in a beautiful place, nothing can hurt her there. I am sure of that. Doesn't that sound good?" The girl nodded now. "See? She will always miss you and you will miss her, but in the end it was better for her this way. Do you understand what I'm trying to say to you?" Noble Heart asked kindly.

"I-I think so, maybe," Fluttershy responded, unsure.

"Every life is precious, and whatever may happen to you in your life, you shouldn't give up and forget who you are. Try to keep the kindness in your heart that you are always showing, Dearie.”

“W-Why? Why do people and animals have to die? It’s so unfair!” the smaller teenager screamed in both, anger and sorrow.

Noble Heart hummed a soft tune, calming her favourite girl, “But it is an unavoidable fact that life can't exist without death. Death can appear in many different forms and we will always grieve about every loss we suffer in one form or another. The point is, death is nothing to be feared or hated. It is just the natural order, a part of a much bigger cycle. Life and Death go hand in hand and everyone deals with it in an own way.”

Fluttershy closed her eyes and leaned into the hug, quietly sobbing.

“Don't let your grief consume you. You have to move on with your life and besides, you will never truly lose someone as long as you hold everyone, person and animal alike, right here," Noble Heart finished with a smile and touched the girl with one finger at the place where her heart was.

Fluttershy giggled, nearly gone were her tears.

"Thank you, Dr. Heart. I feel better already. And I've made a decision. I will help the poor animals and my friends whenever I can," she announced with a cute smile.

Noble Heart was very happy that the shy girl felt better and stated with a warm smile, "I'm sure you will prevail over every obstacle that comes in your way. I believe in you, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy hoped that Noble Heart could, now that she remembered the kind doctor again, escape as well.

But the most important anchor for her that saved the girl from despair and starting a blind search for her family, which would most likely end with her death by some unknown creature outside there, was her strong bond to her friends. After everything that happened until this moment, they still supported her, all in their own unique way without a second thought and it deeply touched her heart.

As long as she had them, she wouldn't lose hope.

After everything she learned from the chimera, the stories, discoveries and information shared by the others of their group, the many changes the magic of this world brought, the unknown dangers which still waited for them in the shadows. Everything scared Fluttershy. Her only anchor, her support, her lifeline, was her friendship with her closest friends. And now one of them was simply gone? Forever?

No! That couldn't be! Fluttershy had to witness, powerless, as one of her best friends slowly transformed fully into a, from what she knew and thought, lifeless statue, without any way to turn her back.

She still heard Applejack's last words: "Ah'm so sorry, Sugarcube. Please, tell the others and ma' family that Ah'll miss them, ya hear?” Her friend chuckled sadly, “Tarnation..." The transformation completed itself and her once proud, stubborn, but very dependable friend, was no more.

She didn't want to believe it.

"APPLEJACK!!" Fluttershy screamed in sheer defeat. It just couldn't be!

"No!" she thought in desperation. "Not one of my friends! Please, not them!"

Fluttershy fell to her knees, feeling useless and empty. She couldn't do anything to help, anything to stop the basilisk from turning Applejack into its next meal. What was with Rainbow Dash? Was she already gone, too?

The animal looked at Applejack's statue, satisfied with its work, but there was still the other one. It wouldn't take any chances and switched its attention to Fluttershy, looking at her with hungry eyes. It closed the distance to the girl with quick, but relaxed, steps.

"..."

Hm? Did someone say something? Fluttershy closed her eyes and sighed. Maybe it was just a hallucination.

"Don't give up, Mistress. I will always be there to serve you," an unknown male voice said... in her head?

Before she could question it any further, or the basilisk could come any closer, a giant pillar of bright pearl green magic surrounded the girl, shooting high into the sky. Her vision went white.

Fluttershy opened her eyes again and what she found was like nothing she'd ever seen before.

She stood on a light yellow, big round platform made of stone. A big symbol was in its center: A butterfly with cyan body and pink wings.

The environment was the most beautiful forest she ever saw, with some known and some unknown trees. Some of them were made of orange crystal, others of violet wood and leaves. Open fields with colorful flowers of great diversity and lush grasses completed the inviting place.

She looked down and not only saw the butterfly, but noticed something else: her own attire. It changed to the outfit she received from the geode, which confused her.

"Mistress! You are here," the mysterious voice stated with a slight echo.

The pink-haired girl couldn't find anyone, and this voice... It wasn't only male, but wise, old and very soothing. In Fluttershy's opinion, this voice would fit perfectly to a teller of ancient tales.

"Why are you calling me 'mistress'? Where are you? Can you show yourself, please? That is, if you don't mind," she asked in a nervous but curious tone.

"I don't have my own form. I am your inner magic. That is the reason why I call you my Mistress. I am a part of you and follow your will, so I have no body to appear in. Normally, we don't summon our wielder like that, just bless him or her with a basic knowledge, a foundation to learn more on your own you might say and announce our name one single time in your mind. After that, we are silent forever. But you are a special case," the voice replied warmly.

"Special case, Mr. Magic?" Fluttershy inquired, confused.

The voice chuckled, amused at its Mistress' politeness, "Indeed. It wouldn't be enough to simply bless you with knowledge and a name in your case, my Mistress. I felt your distress, your despair, because one of your best friends, Lady Applejack, was turned to crystal. You wouldn't be able to fight solely because I gave you knowledge, your morale was shattered and you were convinced that you lost her permanently.”

Her eyes shot wide open. Applejack wasn’t dead?!

“I will give you something I hope you will be able to use. Moreover, you are scared to fight directly and possibly hurting your opponent, because such an act goes against everything you believe is right and what others have taught you in life," the voice explained proudly.

"W-well, I really don't like the thought of harming someone. I will help my friends and stay beside them without hesitation, but I don't think that I can do more than support them. I don't think I could actually... hurt someone," Fluttershy tried to justify herself with a lowered head.

It hummed in understanding, "Mistress, to fight for what is right, for your friends, your family and the innocent, like Lady Celestia once said, is necessary in this new world. I am a part of you and you can wield me after your desire, I am yours to command. It is no shame to fight the ones who won't hesitate one moment to hurt you or your beloved, maybe even to take your life. Give them no chance to take everything away from you. I beseech you.”

The Rainboom sighed and played with a strand of her hair, “B-but I’m not as brave as the rest of my friends. How could I make a difference?”

The voice chuckle knowingly, You don’t need to be anybody else than yourself. Just do your best and you may be surprised by the results. I don't say it is necessary to take a life in return immediately, because it isn't. There will always be challenges, which can be overcome without distributing the final sentence. Have trust in yourself, have trust in your abilities, your allies and show the world that you won't surrender to beings who are living after the doctrine of cruelty. Who have no problem with achieving their dreams and wishes through committing the most despicable of crimes. Stand firm and show them your light, Mistress." Her inner magic hoped it could ease her worries.

After the much needed pep-talk, Fluttershy sighed and knew deep inside her that Mr. Magic was right. She wouldn't lose herself just because she fought threats directly. Besides, she would never forgive herself and it would haunt her forever if someone died for her hesitation.

There was one point she wondered about, still.

"Uhm, you said you want to give me something. What do you mean?" she queried, interested.

"As I said, normally, a mage receives only basic knowledge from their own magic at the beginning. The reason is simple; your body is completely new to the concept of wielding a force like this. That means that you need practice of your own. Take time for your body to adapt and with time you may learn new abilities, extend your mana pool and of course, your level of control,” it continued in a lecturing, but soothing tone.

Fluttershy’s frustration showed to some degree, “I’m not sure if I know what you mean, Mr. Voice.”

The teenager could literally hear the smile, “It is fairly simple, Mistress. Imagine your magic as a muscle. You need to train it and with time and practice, you will be able to complete your basic training with ease and can go further. The same principle applies to magic. With enough training you can use your first learned abilities with ease and can try more powerful spells. My present for you is exactly that.”

She wasn’t sure if she could exercise like that. She was never very enduring when it came to something beyond her passion for animals, but was very interested nonetheless.

“I will give you knowledge of an ability that you would have learned later in your training, because it counts among the stronger spells you will be able to utilize with enough practice. The spell is called, 'Purification'. This ability can cleanse the body of other organisms, even from the strongest venom. It will work like an antidote. The magic of the basilisk works exactly like poison. It not only paralyzes its victim in the form of electric bolts, but when bitten the prey will be turned into a crystalline statue. The reason for that event is that the magic of the basilisk reacts with the inner magic of the target on a higher level and this reaction causes the transmutation. Generally, once bitten, it is sadly over for the victim, even should the responsible basilisk lose its life. The transmutation wouldn't disappear as would be the case with a Cockatrice, a close related species, by the way. No, the existence as a statue will remain active, a truly cruel destiny when you take into account that the victim is, in a sense, aware of its surroundings, still. Only a few methods exist on this world which could reverse this cursed state. Your ability, represents one of them.," the wise voice ended its lecture.

Fluttershy understood what that meant and tears built up in her eyes. If she was strong enough, she could release Applejack from her prison and restore her friend's body. From what she understood, stronger spells would be much more exhausting and maybe even dangerous for her, because she had no training until now. Risks the shy girl was more than willing to take.

"I understand. Thank you very much, Mr. Magic. I can't thank you enough," the teenager said, very grateful.

"There is no need to thank me, Mistress, I exist solely to serve you. Now, awake and show the world your light," the voice replied with force.

It was truly proud of its determined wielder.

The platform under her started to glow in a verdant light and Fluttershy left her inner world. But before she returned to reality, her magic shared its name, "Druid Magic."

The basilisk was cautious. Something wasn't right. It felt threatened by the sudden display of power. After a few seconds, the green pillar of magic died down and its second ‘prey’ was in sight again, and it had... changed somehow. It chose to be careful and wait for the opportunity to strike.

Fluttershy opened her cyan eyes, determination blazing within them. She looked down her body, to the side and behind her as much as possible. She was sure her whole attire had changed once again.

The wielder of Druid Magic now wore a flexible emerald green robe that reached over her entire body from her feet to the start of her neck. It fit perfectly. Tight, but with enough room to move freely, still. Around her stomach were three slim, light red belts over each other, the belt buckles designed like the cyan and pink butterfly she saw on the platform. Three of these butterflies in total for three belts.

Fluttershy wondered why three exactly. Did they represent something?

On her feet she wore masterfully crafted and designed dark green, flat, silky boots, which reached to the middle of her shins. They had white ornate adornments. On her shoulders was some kind of armor. It looked like a combination of blue colored leather and white wood.

She dearly hoped no animal had to suffer for this shoulder armor, not that she knew what it was to begin with.

The leather protected her shoulders and the white wood above it was formed like some kind of antlers. The strangest thing was over each shoulder, in the biggest fork of the antlers. There hovered a fist-sized glowing sphere of her magic. At least it felt like her magic.

She concentrated and summoned in her right hand a long wooden staff, bigger as her, maybe. 1.85 meters in total. The majority of it was formed like a thick walking cane with mocha coloration. the top of the staff was adorned with a tan old-looking owl, which had a calm expression that gave Fluttershy the impression of wisdom and age, like the voice. In the center of the owl's head rested her geode.

The basilisk made itself ready to stun the girl with bolts. Its back started to illuminate, but Fluttershy saw that and used one of her basic spells, Entangle. Her outstretched left hand was engulfed by her green magic.

"How dare you attack my friend, you... you meanie! I will save Applejack and you won't stop me. Uhm, if you don't mind," Fluttershy tried to lecture the animal for its behaviour.

Rarity would call it a ‘uncouth ruffian’, she believed.

She cast her next spell and made sure the beast would not interfere for enough time to help Applejack, at least.

A green magic circle appeared under the basilisk's entire body, a feat on its own, with such a massive creature!. Roots, which looked like the roots of a tree but made of her magic, shot out of the circle and interrupted the being's attack by chaining it tightly to the ground. They twined around its legs with single little ones, one for each leg. The tail was surrounded by three middle-sized roots in a equal distance from the tip to the top. The torso of the body was demobilized with a very thick root. Lastly, two roots, of the same size like the three on the tail, entwined the mouth. The basilisk was absolutely immobilized for the time being.

It was angry, confused and a little frightened. It tried to concentrate its magic in form of the bolts in order to free itself, but it couldn't concentrate enough to summon its power. Every time it could call some energy, the roots constricted a little bit more what caused the basilisk to lose its concentration in an instant. There was no escape for the animal as long as Fluttershy's mana reservoir or her sheer will kept the spell up.

She illuminated her hands in a cyan light this time instead of green. The color represented her spells which existed for the sole purpose of healing and supporting. She put her hands on Applejack's cheeks and cast the Purification spell.

The entire statue was surrounded by the girl's magic after a few seconds. Sweat formed on Fluttershy's face. She used more and more magic, but nothing changed. She had to give up for now, panting heavily from the exhausting spell.

"Why doesn't it work?!" Fluttershy thought bitterly, tears wet her eyes from disappointment. "I know Purification counts to the more advanced spells, but I have to help my friend. Applejack is counting on me and I won't let her down!" she swore to herself and her imprisoned friend.

The young druid dispelled her staff, reabsorbing the mana she summoned it with and cast the ability once more, her magic got brighter this time.

*crack*

First rifts came into existence on the statue's surface.

She panted heavily, “I-I'm close," Fluttershy whispered hopefully, breathing at a faster pace with some difficulty.

The girl summoned every last drop of her magic and pushed everything into the spell. The fissures distributed over the entire statue and with one final flash of light, Applejack was free.

She couldn't even express her joy and fainted immediately into Applejack's arms, a glad smile gracing her face. The magician depleted her entire mana storage. Even her armor dissolved into nothing and was replaced with her normal clothing.

Applejack hugged her animal-loving friend carefully and said, touched, "Thank ya kindly, Fluttershy. Now rest, Ah'll protect ya."

The young Apple was aware of her surroundings the whole time. She couldn't really ‘see’ in the sense of the word, but more ‘felt’ what happened around her. The discovery of Fluttershy's new magic, her confrontation with the basilisk and her blazing desire to save her friend. Applejack was never this proud before of the normally shy girl.

The roots disappeared the moment Fluttershy lost her consciousness. The reptile orientated itself again and attacked anew, not giving up.

"Ya should know when to quit. Ah hope y're ready to feel the bull's horns!" Applejack warned the advancing animal.

It didn't listen and focused on its attack. The most potential threat was no longer a danger, after all.

"Ah warned ya," she said aggressively.

Applejack put Fluttershy gently on the ground, turned around to face the Thunderback with fury and her body started to glow in wild, moving orange magic.

"Esper Magic," a female and kind country voice whispered in the teenager’s mind. It reminded her somewhat of her mother.

It was easy, in theory. The basilisk planned to bite the farmer once more and be done with it... in theory. Applejack concentrated shortly and said in her mind, "Aspect of the Mammoth."

The girl's clothes changed in a flash of light.

Her stetson switched its color to a pale brown, the edges yellow. Her boots were now dark brown, with little apple-shaped ornaments on them on the upper part, and were reinforced by green colored leather chaps. Orange-brown frontier jeans with beige fringe down the sides hugged her legs, held by an ochre brown belt and a red head of what looked like an ancient ancestor of the elephant as its buckle. Red vambraces with green edges, made of leather, protected the lower arms. The girl's hands were encased by dark brown finely built, but sturdy looking leather gloves, with grey-brown fringe in the form of a single apple-shaped patch on the top of them. Applejack now wore a green shirt with red collar, the sleeves ending shortly before the elbow. Finishing her outfit was a copper brown leather woman's vest with white and dark brown colored fringe underneath.

For her body, only her eyes changed in color. Applejack's former green was now a fawn brown.

The basilisk got a bad feeling about this situation in the back of its mind, but it was too late for having second thoughts. It opened its mouth and attempted to close it around Applejack's body.

But it didn't work. The girl pushed the animal's maw into the ground with some force behind her action.

With one outstretched hand, she simply stopped a 14 meter long, heavily muscled, with heavy amounts of stones and crystals to boot, basilisk at full steam, like it was the most common thing in the world.

The greater strength granted by the equestrian magic wouldn't be enough for such a feat, but her new ability, Aspect of the Mammoth, granted her great physical power as long as Applejack kept the aspect active. Furthermore it granted her a stronger natural defense, which meant that she could take much more punishment than usually possible before her body could be severely damaged.

On a side note, only one aspect could be held active at time, but the cost of mana was very low. Holding an aspect active was indeed the most basic ability of her Esper Magic.

The Thunderback looked up and saw the girl's facial expression and it made the basilisk nervous. Really nervous. She wore an absolutely livid expression on her face, rage blazing in her eyes. Very rarely was such a feat ever achieved before in the young woman's life. The basilisk was in some serious trouble now and it knew that. In fact, it was screwed up to the ice age and back.

Maybe it was just a from light created illusion, or the shock from the formerly defeated girl's sudden level of strength, but the animal could swear that a giant wraithlike pale brown colored mammoth with two long white tusks towered over it. The prehistoric giant looked down upon the reptile with fawn brown eyes, standing directly behind Applejack, judging.

She spoke in a lethal tone, "Listen, pal and listen REAL good. Ya tried to eat m' friends and m' horses. Ah don't take kindly to such behaviour, ya rotten varmint! But ye're lucky that Fluttershy wouldn't want yer death, because she would say that ya only followed yer instincts or somethin' like that. Besides, the gal is to good-hearted for this world and Ah won't give her the feelin' that whatcha earned in the end was somehow her fault," she explained the situation with disdain and annoyance for the creature, which tried to kill someone very dear to her.

The basilisk wanted to send electricity upon the farmer, but Applejack wouldn't let it. She summoned her aspect's magic in her right foot and kicked the animal hard under the chin. The corundum cracked a little. It flew a few meters into the sky and landed with a loud splosh in the water of the bog where the two basilisks came from in the first place. The Thunderback had enough and decided to retreat. This kind of prey wasn't worth the effort. It would search somewhere else for food.

"That was for Hector! And STAY OFFA OUR PROPERTY! GOT IT?!" Applejack shouted after her foe.

She walked up to the sleeping Fluttershy, took her friend bridal-style in her hands and started to go back to the house. After a few steps the girl stopped and turned her head a little to look in the direction in which Rainbow Dash had vanished. Applejack just hoped that the athlete was alright.

With this thought in mind, she continued her march.

Rainbow Dash wasn't alright. Not at all.

At first, everything worked like she so awesomely and brilliantly planned.

Like Daring Do in Daring Do and the Legacy of the Temple Knights, where the archaeologist forced Dr. Caballeron and his goons to follow her through old forgotten ruins so that her employee, an old, strange and eccentric historian guy, had more time to translate some dusty old scripts. Only an egghead would do something like that. Which cool person cared for old textbooks or diaries with ridiculously sounding languages nobody would be able to read without falling into a coma in the first place? Daring Do only searched for treasures, mysteries and would fight the bad guys all over the world.

Rainbow could already imagine how her friends would react.

She was quite sure and feared that Sunset and Twilight would totally act exactly like the historian and torture her with a boring long speech about ‘the importance of knowledge’ or something like that.

Eggheads.

Rarity would faint on the spot because of ‘all the horrid dust’.

Fluttershy would most likely hide behind her in fear, which was normal and no problem at all. Nobody messed with her childhood friend as long as she was there. Duh.

Pinkie Pie wouldn't understand how important the whole situation was and would try to give a ‘We-found-an-old-place’-party, probably. Or she would do something completely random that could only be explained with: ‘It's Pinkie Pie. Don't question it.’

Applejack would maybe bring a quote of her unofficial patented countryisms out of nowhere and nobody would get it except her. Rainbow Dash wasn't sure if her friend made them up or not. Was she standing in front of a mirror every morning and tested out the new ideas she had until it sounded so stupid that nobody would get it so no-one would question it? It made sense for her.

The prideful girl was sure. In the very end, the day could only be saved by her own awesome skills.

But back to her problem.

She ran the entire time and made sure that the thing followed her, no biggie. At some point it had enough from her taunts and started to attack from the distance. Out of the basilisk's granite-made thorns on its back suddenly came bolts of fire. The thorns were covered with flaming fissures. It looked like its back burned. the surprise was so big the first time that it nearly hit her. Her left wing of the geode created outfit melted nearly instantly down to nothing.

What Rainbow didn't know was that she faced a Flamerock Basilisk.

Of course, Rainbow Dash could dodge them all. But she was maybe a little too excited and didn't watch where she was going, The bog had ended. She ran down a hill and fell down a hidden cliff through trees and bushes. Luckily she could summon her wings at will in her new outfit and could prevent a very embarrassing death.

The girl was sure she would have been the laughingstock in the afterlife or wheresoever you ended up after your death.

The sole positive, yet very gross side of her situation was, that the basilisk didn't see the cliff either and fell down, too. Without wings... yeah, it didn't end well. Rainbow Dash may have seen the cave, but what remained of the once proud animal after it collided head first with the merciless hard ground after a long way down, from maybe 60 meters, was nothing for more faint-hearted people. She never saw so many stones, crystals, flesh, blood, bones and more or less destroyed entrails in one place.

So even someone as awesome as her had to vomit after that sight. At least nobody saw it, much to her relief. She was at the bottom of the cliff, closer to a canyon, now that she looked around.

Furthermore, Fluttershy would never know about its fate. That, Rainbow Dash swore faithfully. To herself and every higher being who was bored and listened to her inner ‘holy vow’.

After emptying her stomach at the side of a big cave, nearby the mutilated corpse, she wanted to return to her friends to help them with the second basilisk. Then she saw a bright green pillar of light from the direction of Sweet Apple Acres from the bottom of the cliff.

"Awesome! You go, Applejack!" Rainbow Dash cheered loudly.

Her last word echoed through the canyon. She was sure that her longtime rival and best friend just discovered her own magic and would kick the craggy croc's tail in no time! Fluttershy was safe now and out of danger, the multicolored daredevil was sure of that.

Rainbow wanted to fly back and end the day with some well deserved homemade Apple Cider, but from behind her came very unhealthy loud noises. They gave her the chills and let her eyes take the form of pinpricks.

*Disturbing deep breathing*

Maybe she hit her head?

*Disturbing deep breathing*

Her ears were messing with her. Yes! That had to be the case.

*Agonized moaning*

Maybe, if she didn’t turn around, it wouldn’t see her. This was how horror movies and games worked. Right?

Not only moaning, but the most horrible coughing sounds destroyed her illusion. She even felt a wet breath.

"What the freaking heck?!" Rainbow Dash screamed with a scared, nearly high-pitched voice.

She ran in her highest possible speed away from the cave until she brought a good distance between herself and the, Rainbow was sure, haunted place. The paragon of courage and awesomeness turned around to check whatever made such terrifying noises.

It was, by the way, the very reason she wasn't alright at the moment and not already back together with the others, drinking cider.

"Bloody Tartarus, you are ugly!" Rainbow Dash stated the honest truth.

It would never win a beauty contest, ever. She would gladly take on more basilisks at once instead of that thing before her.

It was some kind of... dead looking gargoyle, as far as Rainbow could tell. Or at least close to dead. It was as tall as her and had big dragon-like wings on its back. They looked completely intact, but the creature surely had seen better days at some point. The rest of the body was drenched in sweat. Every bone was clearly visible under the, with many black tumors decorated, pale grey skin. In some places skin and flesh were absolutely decayed and the blank bone was not only visible, but rotten, too. And at other places it looked like something gnawed every bit of flesh off the bone. It looked like a humanoid bipedal bat, with silver greasy hair and one intact red eye on the left side. The other was... almost an empty socket. A black tumor took the former eye's place. Torn up lips couldn't hide the sharp yellow teeth anymore. It had no nose anymore either, it seemed. It had one and a half ears, meaning the left one was intact and the other looked like it was cut in half, but the remaining half was much thicker than the intact ear and dark red in color instead of pale grey. Its arms and legs were very skinny and the arms looked much longer than its legs. Both had sharp black claws, covered with sickly white pustules.

Rainbow Dash felt like she ran straight into some second-rate horror movie, but something wasn't right here. Well, aside from the strange looking gargoyle. She was obviously no egghead, but it looked pretty ill and like it would die any second, so she already knew she couldn't allow any kind of direct contact between them. That way the athlete wouldn't infect herself with whatever the creature had.

Maybe it had rabies? Combined with weird cancer... and some ‘losing-body-parts’-disease... or just something magic-related. Yes, Rainbow was sure of that. Only... what? And what would Daring Do, well... do in her situation?

Then she remembered: taunting the enemy into making mistakes. Duh.

"I can totally take you on you walking cancer! You are alone and I'm fast and awesome. So what are you going to do?" the athlete mocked.

In answer to her question, the gargoyle moaned a few times. Suddenly it screamed very loudly and sharply. Rainbow had to cover her ears. After a few seconds two more infected, ugly looking gargoyles came out of the cave, focusing on her.

The girl rubbed the back of her head in an awkward manner.

"Hehe... I totally forgot that I have to go and.. you know, sorry for the cancer joke. I don't know what came over me, guys. You should go back into your cave and I leave you alone, deal?" Rainbow Dash asked nervously in faint hope.

The three gargoyles spread their wings and charged, fast.

"Nope!" Rainbow Dash quoted Applejack's big brother and flew ast as she could, trying to escape.

It was tiring. Rainbow Dash loved her wings with a passion. It was funny how she was so... attached to her new appendages, she thought. Before the Fall Formal she never even had them in the first place and now she couldn't imagine a life without.

But even she was getting tired after some time and the gargoyles had chased her through the sky for nearly 15 minutes, without a break, mind you, through the canyon. They wouldn't give up, much to the girl's dismay. No matter what acrobatic tricks she tried. It was a broad canyon. Her speed was one thing, but they weren't much slower and even if she could lose them, Rainbow needed a way to get rid of them permanently.

These things were surely walking timebombs, moving safety hazards and would probably distribute their illness, or whatever they had, if they found their way our of here, Sweet Apple Acres or Ponyville. The problem was that she didn't really have magic to attack from a distance.

Still, the gargoyles payed tribute for their constant chase in high speed. They lost parts of their bodies. Legs, arms, talons, one even lost its lower jaw. It was disgusting. But they never got slower, completely ignoring their blood loss. it creeped the rainbow-haired girl out something fierce.

Then she received something no human in the history of mankind ever received before in his life; a cramp in her right wing.

"Damnit!" Rainbow Dash swore angrily, performed a forced vertical flight and landed in front of the gargoyles' home. "Come on!" she lamented to herself.

Her wings didn't count as an option any longer and she couldn't run away from them forever either. When even one of her legs gave in like her wing, she was pretty much done for. The gargoyles made gurgling noises, proclaiming their victory.

"NO!" Rainbow Dash shouted in determination.

She defied her supposedly ‘inevitable fate’ with every fiber of her being and refused to surrender. To die through ‘getting ripped apart by half-dead abominations’? How lame was that?

"I won't die like that! You hear me, you disgusting monster bats?! My friends need me and I would never leave them hanging! I'll fight for them, stay with them, laugh with them, cry with them, no matter the cost! So don't you even think that you've won! Because, in the end, will return to them!" Rainbow Dash announced, absolutely sure.

She felt something awaken in her. Her entire body started to glow a sky blue color and a male, powerful, judging voice echoed through her mind, "Heavens Magic."

"Awwww yeah! Sweet!" Rainbow Dash cheered with new-found vigor. She concentrated on one of her new abilities.

The gargoyles attacked her shortly later, but just crashed into something and couldn't reach their victim-to-be; an invisible wall. No, not invisible, when they looked again, at least the ones that didn't lose their sight, there was indeed a protective wall. It moved swiftly and in all directions at once, like a storm, but nearly visible to the naked eye. A light blue wind. It encased the girl in form of a sphere.

"I hope you like my neat new ability; the Wind Barrier. You're not strong enough to break through it. Don't even try. Let's end this," Rainbow Dash said, she tried to sound cool and confident like always.

The chromatic teenager had to concentrate to hold up the barrier and stopped herself from enjoying the situation too much at the same time. She felt like she was in a Daring Do movie, where she played the famous archaeologist herself. A little change of color and people would say that she and Daring Do could be relatives.

The three gargoyles watched the barrier, interested and confused. Rainbow didn't give them time to overthink it. She summoned three head-sized spheres of air in front of her and grinned smugly.

"Sorry guys, I'll end that here and now. I have to return to my friends and make sure they're alright," Rainbow Dash explained smugly.

She lowered the barrier and shot at the same time, the spheres all impacting upon the slowly-reacting gargoyles. They all hit their intended targets, the creatures' heads, pulverizing them. It was enough this time. the corpses fell to the ground and didn't move anymore.

"Wait... I have to make sure that the cave is empty, but I can't go in there directly. One scratch from one of them and that's it for me," Rainbow Dash whispered to herself in annoyance.

She was ready to fly up, not with her wings, but her wind. She could carry herself easily from now on with her new magic. Maybe others as well, she wasn't sure.

"Ah, right. There is one new ability I nearly forgot," Rainbow Dash remembered proudly. "OK, here goes nothing," she muttered.

The athlete created a little sky blue magic circle in front of her and used her next ability, Oculus of Visibility. It looked like a flying wind-made sky blue eye with a glowing green pupil, the size of a tennis ball. Next, she went into a kneeling position. Her body was engulfed by her magic. She closed her eyes and finally sent the eye on its mission.

She could now see what the eye saw, but it couldn't just penetrate solid objects. Only use the visible free environment. It could be used in a diameter of 50 meters around her. After that the spell would cancel itself automatically because of the distance. Furthermore, the eye flew lowly on the actual ground level of Rainbow's own body, no matter if solid material was beneath it or not. So it couldn't just fall down somewhere or into water. It always hovered. Lastly, the eye could freely turn in the direction Rainbow wanted it to look, depending on her given orders. It wasn't restricted in its movements.

Of course, it could still be attacked, because it wasn't really invisible like normal air. But even if destroyed, what the eye saw would reach Rainbow Dash. It didn't matter if her connection was interrupted through the destruction of the eye. Such an act wouldn't cause any damage to her.

The only other drawback of this ability; she was unprotected in her momentary state, as long as the spell was active. She hoped nothing would attack her body during that time. Direct harm would immediately break the spell, but it would likely be too late.

The Oculus entered the cave, its natural shining sky blue color illuminated the walls around it, at least a little bit. She sent it deeper into the cave, but didn't find anything... for a while. It seemed like she reached the end of the cave, it was a big cavern. In it she found at least 10 more gargoyles on the ground, dead. No, killed by whatever illness haunted them here in this cave.

Rainbow Dash prepared to end the spell when she suddenly saw something interesting to her left. The entire wall on that side of the cavern was covered in pitch black ore. Black, long crystals protruded out of the main structures. Rainbow never saw or heard of something like that before. Must be something new, but the color... she turned the eye fast, looked back to the corpses and back again to the ores. Yes, the strange black tumors had the same sparkling shine like the mineral. She'd noticed quickly that they looked pretty strange for normal tumors, but put it aside and declared it in her mind with not being important.

So the ore caused them to get ill? It even killed them in process? It was all just plain weird. But that wasn't her concern anyway. The cave was empty. No more infected gargoyles, mission completed.

Rainbow Dash ended the spell and panted heavily from exhaustion. It cost her more and more mana to keep up the spell with prolonged time. She believed it lasted for perhaps four minutes.

She would share what she discovered with the others, the eggheads, Sunset and Twilight, could try to find out more. She was a girl of action and adventure and not of boredom.

“Just to make sure...” the magician thought worriedly, summoning two more spheres of wind and sending them against the entrance to the cave, collapsing it.

Rainbow inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly before she summoned her wind to bring her up again and out of this deathtrap of a canyon to get her prize. She'd earned herself some Apple Cider, without question.

In the end, it was exactly like she predicted. Her awesomeness saved the day.

Back in the cave, a black oval-shaped portal appeared where Rainbow Dash found the dead gargoyles and the unknown ore. A person stepped out of it and looked around herself. This mysterious character wore a black cloak, but had clearly female curves.

With a deep, but beautiful voice and an echo in it, the figure said in annoyance, "It seems his 'experiment' failed once again. I knew that exposing these gargoyles to the corrupting energy of Devil's Desire would cause such disappointing results. I mean, it literally emits demonic magic and causes unprepared and unevolved beings to mutate, forcing the bodies to adapt to the corruption. So what did he expect to find? Grand Master Ferill won't like what happened here, but he did wish that I report him about what the ore did with the gargoyles.” She looked in disdain at the remains of their guinea pigs, “Pathetic creatures."

The woman stepped once more through the portal and returned home to the headquarters of the Adepts of Khom.

Author's Note

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Next in line is 'Team Longleg'. :ajsmug: But hey, Druidshy is best Shy, 'nough said.

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 12 - Price of Loss

"The Gleaming Islands, home of the thunder elementals, inside the realm known as the Elemental Planes. They consist of four lesser islands and one main island. The four lesser ones were governed by the Akil’ir Council, whereas the main island was ruled by the lord of the thunder elementals himself.

Wattom, Island of the South, governed by Akil’ir Illumina.

Elek, Island of the North, ruled by Akil’ir Septerma.

Amper, Island of the West, under the jurisdiction of Akil’ir Tendross.

Neutra, Island of the East, ruled by Akil’ir Aq'talir.

And the main island, Ashyn, prospering under the leadership of Lord Imperion of the Unforgiving Thunder."

A sigh of boredom broke the silence and she put the history book aside, walked on her balcony and admired the view of the main island before her mission started. She'd resided on Ashyn a good four days already, learning about her new abilities from libraries, teachers and especially her Mistress. She was preparing herself to fulfill her first task and maybe, one day... her dream.

The Scion had already a plan for how to achieve it. She did it for her fellow humans. Well, she may be now a half elemental, a Scion of Thunder to be precise, but still. An unimportant detail for the woman, nothing more.

"His death could have been prevented," the woman thought bitterly. They were best friends, childhood friends, and he died, just because he wasn't ‘gifted’ like others! It wasn't fair... no, it just wasn't.

The now in her chair resting Scion hoped dearly that one day she would get a chance to avenge him. The unspoken promise for retribution was a huge motivator. She gave everything she could in her training sessions and studied.

Yes! One day, she would make her pay!

So she made a decision on the day of the invasion. She promised herself and to all humans, who had to live in danger and possessed no usable magic on their own to defend themselves since everything started, that she would bring salvation. Well, they didn't have their own magic, yet, but soon.

A deserved chance, the same right to defend themselves like every other magic user. They were nothing special! So why should the existing mages have a fair chance to fight for their life and live, but at the same time the ‘unfortunate rest’, who wasn't as ‘blessed’ had to fear death? She wouldn't stand for such injustice.

The natural gifted new races could build themselves a new place on Earth. The helpless part of mankind not? It made her blood boil.

She would show everyone that her path would lead to true peace and harmony. Prove that her Path of Equality was the only way, indeed.

She, Starlight Glimmer, would make everyone the same, because when everyone was special, nobody was. When every person had magic at their disposal and not just a select few, the world would be much fairer for everybody. Special cases in their society, special ‘talents’ in such a form, should not exist, in her opinion. In order to bring change and the same rights for every human it needed to be done and they would all be thankful in the end.

The young woman remembered the fateful day when everything changed for her and she decided to serve Lord Imperion and her new teacher, master and friend.

Starlight Glimmer always saw herself as a normal, focused, intelligent young woman. Nothing too special. She was 23 years old, 1.74 meters tall, had pale, light grayish skin, her smooth hair was colored in two tones of purple, with teal highlights in the form of bangs, and a long ponytail to the middle of her back. And her eyes a moderate persian blue.

She graduated with nearly perfect scores and worked since her degree as a scientist, one of the youngest by the way, in Fillydelphia’s history, where Starlight worked on the subject of behaviorism. It was one of Amarerica's greatest harbors and cities. Not as many skyscrapers as other metropolises, but a calm atmosphere and the clean, fresh scent of the ocean made the town worthwhile. A good place to live in.

Starlight wore azure blue boots at the moment, white stars all over them in a random manner, with thick, short high heels. The boots reached shortly above the knee. Moreover, she had teal shorts, decorated with a symbol on the left leg; a purple and white star with two blue glimmering streams and a white belt with a purple star as a buckle. Lastly, she wore a light blue shirt with short sleeves and a slim black vest above it.

But no matter what happened, she always could count on her best friend.

Her childhood friend, Sunburst. He was 24 years old, 1.80 meters tall. He had slightly orange skin, but strangely a broad white stripe upon his face from the beginning of his nose to shortly above his eyebrows, which led in his past to being bullied by a lot from other kids. His hairstyle was slightly uncombed, vivid vermilion hair, Sunburst had furthermore dark cornflower blue eyes and a horrible goatee, in her opinion. But he loved it. Said it gave him an ‘intelligent and manly appearance’. Whatever that meant.

He graduated from FHS, Fillydelphia High School, like Starlight Glimmer. But he never was as good as she was and a more theoretical kind of person. He was very knowledgeable and some would, perhaps, call him a genius in theoretical and classical physics. But he had big problems in using his knowledge for the applied part of this subject. Sunburst worked as a technical assistant and made inquiries, lots and lots of inquiries, about many different topics.

Starlight was very good in theory and practice. Sometimes he wished he could be as good as his friend, but he was very pleased with what he had, still.

The young man wore big silver glasses, which tended to slide from his nose annoyingly often. He had a dark blue shirt with slim turquoise blue stripes on the sides and sleeves, ending with cuff-links at his wrists. On the shirt was a symbol, too. It was an orange sun with two thick, bursting yellow, and two white rays on the right side of it and six blue stars in different sizes. He wore black cuffed jeans, a common brown belt and dark blue sneakers with white colored soles and toe caps.

Fillydelphia was always a nice big city and today Starlight and Sunburst wanted to hang out with each other, like they did nearly every weekend. In their favourite place; the mall. Big crowds walked through the different stores, going about their business.

At the moment, the two friends sat on a big, white, oddly comfortable wooden bench in front of an artificial waterfall with tropical plants, enjoying their drinks. Starlight had a strawberry smoothie and Sunburst, a cappuccino with extra milk. Sometimes she wasn't sure if her friend's drink still tasted like cappuccino or just like milk, but maybe he loved it this way. She never asked. He never told.

Normally, they would catch up and inform each other of what they did in the last week, or talk about other important subjects for them. But in the last few weeks, many strange things were reported everywhere around the city and over the entire country in general. Nobody could explain them. The most important and Starlight had to confess, scariest and most daunting information was based around the rumors and stories about last night's events. She herself woke up from the loud noises this truly very strange storm made.

Many sailors, newspapers and other sources reported about a suddenly appearing giant hurricane. No, not just giant, the biggest documented hurricane in the history of mankind! West of Fillydelphia's harbor was the Celestial Sea. The entire ocean was haunted from its power and nothing or nobody could explain where this storm came from. The weather forecasts had announced a clear sky for the entire night, by the way.

Strange was the hurricane, because it hit the inner sea only. It literally stopped shortly before it reached the city. Like it was alive and decided it was close enough for its taste. This inexplicable phenomenon could be seen everywhere on the west coast of the USA. The land itself was never endangered by the storm. After a short time it dissipated in biggest parts in an instant, equally without any possibility of explaining this event, like how the storm could even come into existence in the first place.

Helicopters from the local police and news agencies wanted to investigate and started to search for any possible reason in the open sea. Nobody returned, much to everyone's shock. It was like the sea itself swallowed the people. Every device of communication lost their connection after some time and strangely even satellites couldn't catch pictures. Huge and thick amounts of clouds and some unknown form of energy rendered them useless. In response, the local government gave the order that nobody would leave Fillydelphia over the Celestial Sea until the cause for the disappearances was found.

But before that, a new, unspoken order was given. Local captains and their crews made it their personal task to discover the truth themselves and started to investigate in the moment the storm disappeared last night. Many didn't return until now. And, like it happened with all people before them, the communication had broken off at some point. However, two very modern speed boats made it back and their owners reported their findings.

After they drove five hours into the open sea, they saw and felt how the water under them accelerated somehow, faster and faster, like the rapids of a river. What they saw before them made the seamen wish they didn't come at all. It made their blood run cold.

Giant vortexes were the reason for the strange behaviour of the water. They were distributed all over the ocean with some distance to each other, the smallest of them had a diameter of 20 meters or so, in their opinion. No matter in which direction they looked, the whirlpools were everywhere and no end was in sight.

In the far distance they could see, with the help of binoculars, what surely surprised the humans who used a helicopter and was possibly responsible for their demise. A great number of towering tornadoes. They were there, some distance from each other, like the vortexes and didn't move at all from their position, no matter how long they watched.

The sky itself looked foreboding, practically a warning in its own right. It was the last straw for these brave souls and they returned immediately to Fillydelphia, informing their fellow humans.

They swore they could sense a bad omen, of a dark storm brewing and a darker future in general.

Overdramatizing, much?

Starlight wasn't sure if something like that could even be happening, but many other inexplicable things already proved that the word ‘impossible’ lost its meaning in the last short while.

It was like the sky and the sea themselves decided to keep whatever was responsible for the storm a secret by all available means. But that was impossible... right?

"So..." Sunburst ended the awkward silence, "What do you think about the strange things that seemed to have happened in the last while? Especially what the sailors reported about the Celestial Sea," he inquired in a nervous voice.

"Honestly? I have no idea.” Starlight replied truefully. “If the sailors' tales are true and I fear that they're true indeed, then something very foreboding has happened. The hurricane from last night didn't just pop into existence without a reason.” She took a sip of her smoothie and added thoughtfully, “There has to be a cause behind its creation."

"Hmm," was his only answer to her statement.

Starlight continued, annoyed. "And then there are the other rumors about 'beings of mythology'. Citizens claimed they saw things like a manticore, some kind of Satyr, giant animals, unknown plants, or even Nagas at the coast! But not a single rumor could be verified until now, because every time the police was sent to investigate they found nothing! Three teams went missing because of some kind of 'unfortunate incidents', or so was the official announcement. Since then, the governor claimed that such sightings were nothing than 'mere rumors' and labeled every bit of proof as 'well-made videos with special effects'. I am serious, Sunburst. I have the feeling he's hiding something from us," she grumbled.

"Don't you think that you're overreacting a little, Starlight? I don't think the situation is as dire as you describe it. Besides, I believe the governor and the other politicians are just trying to scale the whole situation down. You know, in order to prevent mass panic," Sunburst reasoned calmly.

The young woman sighed in defeat, “Yeah. Maybe you are right, but since last night I have had a bad feeling and it drives me crazy. I fear that something big will happen soon," Starlight explained, emotionally exhausted.

He chuckled to lighten the mood, “Come on. I think you're just tired and grumpy," Sunburst joked. Starlight looked at him with a deadpan. "What could possibly go wrong?" He continued with a smile.

Before she could reply, the universe accepted the heathen's challenge and delivered.

*boom*

Screams were heard from the lowest level. Their position was located on the second.

"W-what was that?!" Sunburst asked in fear.

"Look!" Starlight pointed down below them and they couldn't believe their eyes.

A human seemed to attack, but not with fists or commonly known weapons, but the aggressor used some kind of... strange looking flames? Seriously?!

The person in question looked like a woman, if her body proportions were anything to go by under the white cloak, with crimson highlights at the edges. Her face was hidden, too, but the hands were visible; slender and light amber in color.

"Who is that? W-what are these flames?" her childhood friend asked visibly scared.

Starlight could only watch what caused the sound in slight fear and morbid curiosity. It seemed she, in Starlight's opinion this person was a ‘she’ until proven otherwise, had fire around her body. For some strange reason it didn't burn or melt anything around her, much to the scientist's confusion. The same dark colored flames, not yellow, orange or red, but in a dark shade of purple and indigo with a light, brilliant opal outline. were devouring the rest of what was once a vendor.

From their higher position it was impossible to see the most important detail, the face of the assailant, but otherwise they had a good view on the morbid show which presented itself in front of their eyes.

The attacker wore black ankle boots and an amulet around her neck, the centerpiece was a single violet, slender and graceful looking phoenix with opened wings.

A deathly silence ruled the mall.

At last, the stranger opened her mouth after she was sure that she had the undivided attention of every single person in the mall and spoke in a commanding, clear and very confident voice, maybe she was even only a teenager, "Attention, my fellow humans! I'm sure you are wondering and have questions like: 'How did she do that?', 'Who is she?', 'What are these flames?' I came to speak to you, to make you understand that a new era is upon us! Upon this entire world.”

Sunburst groaned and rolled his eyes in annoyance, “Oh great. She is one of those people…”

The ominous girl didn’t care for his opinion and spoke more, “You've surely already heard about many different kinds of rumors that claimed the most unbelievable things in the last months, especially the last weeks. Today, I came to you to tell you the honest truth. Everything what you've read- or heard about, the many missing people, unnatural flora, mythical creatures, since a short time ago, the disappearances of many of mankind's creations and many, many more rumors which can't be simply explained. Everything is true! Observe and witness my power with your very own eyes! No footage, no special effects, no excuses."

Starlight had to admit she was impressed. The young woman summoned the brilliant tri colored flames over her entire body and it moved around her like snakes made of living flames, mesmerizing the crowd. Heeding the will of its master.

Now the girl sounded almost reverently, "Do you see the very proof I deliver you? This. Is. MAGIC! A power usually known from the world of fairy tales, a product of fantasy, of our imagination. Still, here I stand before you, proving its existence with my very own powers. It is called, Shadow Phoenix Magic!"

That very moment, the mall's security and additionally, the police, started to surround the intruder. The cloaked woman only chuckled in amusement. She created in each of her palms a head-sized sphere of her fire and threw them, causing them to explode in front of the advancing policemen.

Starlight could have sworn that some of them whispered something like: ‘I don't get enough payment for something like this!’. Some started to retreat, slowly.

What were they expecting? They tried to surround an opponent who clearly had a few surprises up her sleeves. A few spectators awoke out of their awe and fear induced state of mind and backed off. Some policemen drew weapons and pointed them in the direction of the mysterious woman.

Meanwhile, the person in question continued in a more annoyed tone, "Please. You are nothing against me and I wasn't finished yet. Now, where was I? Ah, yes. I am what is commonly known as a 'mage'. Of course, you can call my profession whatever you want, if it makes you feel more comfortable. Like sorcerer or witch, for example. I'm not entirely sure if there exists a difference. Well, it's not important anyway. But beware! Not everyone can follow the path of magic and become a proud wielder. Only a small part of mankind will be able to use the inner energy residing in our very beings, which exists in every single one of us, by the way. And not only us, but magic means life. Magic means creation. Magic exists everywhere on this world. From the biggest animal to the smallest stone.”

Most of the her surrounding forces glanced questioningly at each other as if she was insane.

“If you count among the selected few, you are lucky. If not, you should be careful and never leave the safety of your home without some kind of protection. The world outside just got much more dangerous. And besides, humans are no longer the only sapient race of this planet,” she stated sardonically.

Soft whispers commenced, some in irritation, others in disbelief and the rest in curiosity. Starlight Glimmer counted herself to the last group.

"What is she talking about?" Sunburst mumbled, surprised, to his childhood friend.

"I have no idea, but I'm sure she'll answer soon," Starlight replied seriously. The suspense was killing her on the inside.

Indeed, she did, "Not only did nearly everything alive changed, even things that we always firmly believed were fantasy and myth have come into existence, like manticores, basilisks, chimeras, timberwolves, cockatrices and more. The flora of our world is changing, too. The landscapes are under reconstruction as we speak and not all humans stayed humans. Many were changed in species from the magic of our world. I saw already some of them. Trolls, orcs, dwarves, elves, to name just a few, do exist now.”

The brave women and men advanced further, what made the girl snort in arrogance and amusement.

She couldn’t care less, “Mankind is no longer the sole ruler of this world or the dominant species. Not any longer. A new age is upon us, my fellow humans. The Age of Magic! So. Tell me. Are you planning to hide yourselves in hope that the real world won't reach you? Will you give up? Lash out in anger and despair? Or will you be able to continue living in this new world? The choice is yours.”

Nobody knew what to say until the, from what Starlight saw, leader of the police spoke up. A man clearly in his higher years, maybe in his late fifties. He wore beige colored trousers, green boots, a blue jacket and above it a black bulletproof vest, like every policeman. He had ice-grey eyes and laughter lines around them, which told her that this man appreciated humor in his daily life. Furthermore, short hair in the same color. His skin was a light yellow. In general, this man looked very fit in his appearance and tall, too. At least 1.9 meters.

His voice was deep, firm in this moment, but warm, still. Paired with his smile, both gave him a grandfather-like aura. It felt like an adult scolded a little child who misbehaved and needed some long overdue disciplinary measures, "I am Police Commander Forging Star from the Fillydelphia Police Department and your little speech made me curious, young lady. So please enlighten an old man like me before you'll be punished for causing mayhem here, will you? If what you are saying is true and I do believe you, I saw the reports which supported many of your claims. What do you expect us to do? Fight the other races? They're former humans and had no choice when they were changed into something else, from what I understood. Such actions will only end in an endless circle of violence and hatred and I refuse to take a part in such petty behaviour. You sound like some fanatic. What is your plan? Or do you really want to tell me that you came here, destroyed property and terrorized innocent citizens of this fair town, because you have a good heart and want to warn us? Don't make me laugh, girl," the commander enquired mockingly, with a smug expression on his face.

Starlight just hoped that the old man didn't just sign his death sentence or something like that. She liked how he stood up for what was necessary and right.

She couldn't see anything because of the cloak, but the young woman was sure that ‘clenching one's fists’ counted as a sign for being annoyed, angry, maybe even sincerely insulted, in her book. She wasn't sure which option was the case, but the scientist was sure that angering this stranger wasn't the best idea. Not even remotely.

"You dare to speak to me in such a manner, you ungrateful worm?! I'm connected to powers far beyond your limited horizon, put them on display and you have the guts to insult me, still?! You are either very brave or very insane, Mr. Star. But I'll humor you, because I feel like it. And so that you and others may understand the reasons behind my actions," the young woman explained in an arrogant tone.

"I feel honored, girl. What do you want? A cookie? Should I kneel and pledge my loyalty to your cult of fanatics? Wait, you aren't a devil worshiper, are you?" Forging Star responded in the most monotone voice Starlight heard in her entire life.

That question made many of his fellow policemen and a few people from the audience chuckle or laugh. Starlight herself had to contain herself from laughing openly. She didn't want any kind of attention which could result negatively for her.

Her friend had no such concerns. After he laughed for a few seconds, Sunburst stated amused and unnecessarily loud, "That was a good one! She acts like some kind of mysterious wannabe savior and zealot. Who does she think she is, Batgirl?" he asked, attempting to crack a joke. It didn't work.

Starlight could only groan at him. "Sunburst, you are such a nerd," she whispered under her breath, feeling embarrassed.

"I came to Fillydelphia to give you an once-in-a-lifetime chance to achieve greatness. To claim power beyond your reach, because otherwise you are merely normal humans who can't defend themselves, at least without magical protection, from the real world. Most of your still-existing weapons can't harm beings which can wield such power in order to shield themselves or their skin alone is already enough to avoid any form of harm you could might cause them.” Her voice took an angrier note, “No, I am what is called, in our ranks, a Dark Priest and I wanted to invite you into our holy order to live under our protection. Don't let the title fool you into believing I am 'evil' or something like that. Such categories don't exist, in my opinion. What is defined as 'evil' in someone's eyes can be the most obvious choice for the next person and be seen as 'good'. We all just follow our beliefs and try to act accordingly," this 'Dark Priest" replied. She was clearly fed up with Forging Star.

"Then I have three last questions for you before I'll close our little Q&A. What is your order called? Where do you have your base of operation? Who are you?" Forging Star queried with narrowed eyes, back to business.

"Ah, ah, ah. That is not how it works. Do you really think I just give away crucial information to potential threats? It's a safe haven and I will protect it. That means that the second question is invalid and the third question, too. I won't give my name to you, because I see no reason to share my identity with someone who has already set his mind on the goal of putting me behind bars. But worry not, the first question is something I can help you with. Our order is a newly founded union of paladins, mages and veterans who want to protect the people who seek us out and teach everyone, who is willing at least, useful new abilities. We call ourselves the Order of the New Dawn," she answered in a matter of fact way.

"Well, that was certainly something new. But you will answer every question we have, girl. No matter if you want or not. Pre-" Forging Star couldn't say more, because one of his officers came running.

"SIR! T-The city is under attack!" A young sounding woman screamed in sheer panic.

Must be new, so Starlight thought. But more important was another question entirely. What gave the poor dear such a fright?

"Well? Speak up! I have some disillusioned criminal to interrogate!" Forging Star demanded.

"Hey!" the mysterious young woman shouted insulted from behind his back.

"We a-are not sure Commander. They came out of the Celestial Sea and look like giants with seaweed, shells and scale strewn skin. Worse, our weapons have no effect on them, and for some reason our communication is dead. We can't call the president and his staff in the capitol or r-reach them otherwise! Furthermore, the giants are supported by many small enemies, w-which look like some kind of goblins! They came with many ships. I'm not entirely sure, sir." the woman replied nervously, stuttering sometimes.

That made Starlight Glimmer nervous and she wasn't the only one. Many who heard the conversation panicked, too.

"What are we gonna do now? How can we escape?!"

"We are all going to die!"

"Is it too late to sign up for the order?"

"Save us, Commander Forging Star!"

"I'm too beautiful to die!"

"I can't leave my cabbages. They are everything I have!"

Sunburst shared his 'wisdom' with Starlight in such a delayed way that she wasn't sure if she should laugh or cry.,"Well, that's not good," he commented, expressionless and in thought.

"Everyone, listen to me and listen well! Save the civilians at all costs! Bring them to safety and stop the invaders. But be careful! You have your orders. Dismissed!" Forging Star ordered harshly.

They all obeyed without a blink. Some even ran outside already to help before he gave any commands.

"Don't think I forgot about you, girl," he said to the young Dark Priest.

"Perish the thought, Mr. Star." she replied smugly.

"I don't know what your or your order's agenda is, but I'm warning you. If you endanger the innocent, I will hunt you down. Remember that!" Forging Star warned and promised at the same time, as solemn as a judge.

After he looked one last time at the cloaked woman he ran outside to support his forces.

Already most of the people in the mall were led to a safe place into the underground through the tunnels. The police was sure that the civilians were safe in the metro system. The security guards helped. Starlight had a bad feeling about this and sneaked out of the mall, wanting to find out what was happening outside.

"Starlight! We have to go! What are you doing?!" Sunburst exclaimed worriedly as he caught up with his friend, a little out of breath. He lost her at first, because he followed the crowd, but saw after a few seconds that Starlight left in the opposite direction.

"I have a bad feeling about this, Sunburst. Why is the city under attack and who would do something like that? I think whoever they are, they know that Fillydelphia's metro system is mainly used to save civilians in the case of an attack. I don't think someone who invades one big city like this came unprepared or out of boredom," the scientist replied nervously, locking eyes with an equally disturbed friend.

"Good observation. I bet you are right," supported a very familiar voice.

Sunburst and Starlight turned their heads and looked in front of them. Before the door, which would lead them finally out of the mall, stood the ambassador of the Order of the New Dawn, the Dark Priest, in all of her mysterious glory.

"What do you want?" Starlight demanded to know, unsure if she wanted an answer or not.

"There is absolutely no reason to be hostile. I saw how everybody tried to save their skins, but you two decided to walk straight into your own death. It made me curious, and I have my reasons," the woman replied honestly.

"What kind of reasons?" Sunburst asked curiously, standing beside Starlight.

"Reasons which are not of your concern. And... curiosity, on my part," she replied simply.

Both facepalmed.

"You love being complicated, don't you." Starlight stated more than asked.

Instead of answering, the Dark Priest just walked out of the mall. The confused friends followed their new ‘ally’.

Fillydelphia looked like something you would read about in nearly every fantasy book. A little war, the clashing sides of the police, their own special forces and every person who had a weapon and was able to use it. The success wasn't promising against the two different groups who took the city street by street. The trio ran, always making sure to avoid unnecessary conflict through stealth and caution.

There were, for example, little azure-blue goblins. They had long ears, a long nose, most of them had yellow, slightly slitted eyes, some green. Only a few of them had some ugly wisps on their head in a sky blue color, but most goblins were bald. They reached maybe to 1.3 meters at their highest and all were normally built. Some skinny, but not like they would starve any time soon. Hands like feet had five fingers or toes, sharp and flat teeth like a human and it looked like they had closed gills at their neck. So this species could breathe underwater and on land?

Starlight found this interesting. If she only had time to experiment, find out how such a thing was possible.

Most of them wore golden or silver earrings in varied numbers and positions on their ears. The biggest part wore only sea green colored vests, brown or black boots which reached a little below the knee and light sea green colored trousers. Only a few wore nothing at all except the trousers, what gave Starlight a free view of their mostly very disgusting and uncared-for looking feet.

Weapons were crudely made swords, more like daggers for her, but swords for someone their size, sharp harpoons and long spears made of normal wood and metal. At least Starlight thought that this was the case.

The second group consisted out of the aforementioned ‘giants’, and they were certainly big and bulky, indeed. 16'4”-19' in height and very massive body proportions gave them a dangerous appearance. Their entire build was covered and protected by bluish-black scales. They were small, but very hard to penetrate, it seemed. The bullets of the fighting humans hit, hurt or killed goblins, but these walking buildings couldn't care less. Nothing seemed to hurt or even faze them.

Like the young officer mentioned earlier, their entire bodies were also covered with tons of shells and seaweed. Especially around the nether regions. Starlight wasn't sure how to feel about this fact. Happy? She simply didn't know. They didn't wear any form of clothes or armor anyway. They had ocean blue eyes, more or less dark green hair on their heads that laid smoothly upon it, no ears like Starlight knew them, but some kind of big round membrane that pulsated on both sides of their heads.

The giants attacked mercilessly with fists and feet, or even some very big weapons; mauls, great maces or spiked great maces. All weapons looked entirely made of some white stone, Starlight guessed marble. The spikes were red, orange or yellow sharp crystals.

Giants, like goblins, haunted the entire city like a plague. There were hundreds of goblins and at least 50 giants distributed over Fillydelphia. The trio only saw a fraction of the scale of this attack, but enough to make them wish to leave the doomed city as soon as possible.

"H-How is that possible?" Sunburst asked in a mere whisper, losing all hope for survival.

"Beats me. Maybe they want Fillydelphia for some reason," the cloak wearing young woman guessed.

"We have to go. I wanted to see with my own eyes how the situation looked, and we have to leave the city. As I see it, the giants alone could kill every human here and the helping goblins aren't making the situation any better," Starlight said urgently.

"You are awfully calm about the fact that your home is getting destroyed," the Dark Priest commented, surprised.

"I panic on the inside, don't worry. But it won't bring me anything to lose my head here and now. Besides, Sunburst and I are pretty much useless. We have no training in using a weapon and no possibility of defending ourselves. We have to escape the city and make it the smart way, or we end up as fish sticks." Sunburst and the woman groaned at this enemy-related joke. "And as I guessed, the goblins formed themselves in groups and started to enter the metro system. If you are unlucky, the metro will be your grave. It's a giant deathtrap, promising false hope and safety until the goblins surrounded you in the underground, whereas the giants look out for enemies in the city itself. Someone had to organize this attack, but who?" Starlight analyzed.

"We might find out soon enough! Look!" Sunburst exclaimed panicky.

They hid themselves behind a demolished bus and saw in front of them a confrontation between Police Commander Forging Star and a goblin who could qualify as the leader of this campaign, at least for the goblins.

He was a little bigger than the rest, maybe 1.5 meters tall. Broader too, otherwise he looked like the goblins they saw, mostly. He had a visible thick scar in the form of a cross on his left cheek, slightly slitted steel blue eyes and he wore a completely different attire than the others. He wore a black captain's hat with a white skull and crossbones upon it.

“Pirates?!” Starlight shouted in her mind.

He also wore a white shirt, a golden vest to emphasize how important he is, crimson trousers and black boots.

In his right hand he had a long, crooked saber to inflict more pain upon his victims, and in the left hand a beautiful crafted revolver in gold and silver, adorned with fine inscriptions. He pointed the weapon at the commander's chest at a two meter distance.

“But still, overcompensating much?” the scientist of the trio wondered, shaking her head in disbelief.

The commander held his weapon, a .44 Magnum, at his opponent in return. Then he talked at a volume that they could hear at. They spoke already briefly before with each other it seemed, but over the dying screams, explosions and other sounds, it was hard to hear something from their position.

Four dead goblins laid around them in their own blood, killed by bullets. Four others stood around the big goblin and the commander, waiting. Well, no magical protection and simple melee weapons against someone with a range weapon like a gun did something like that.

"I ask you one more time, you ugly squirt. Why are you attacking Fillydelphia? Who ordered such a thing?!" Forging Star demanded to know in pure rage.

The goblin cackled like a hyena and spoke in a higher voice mixed with a deeper shady undertone and the cliched voice of a pirate, "You wretched landlubber! I am Captain Ezim Knucklehammer! Aye, I be leader of the Darkgill Pirates. We and our fellow allies, other pirate crews, the Bloodhats and Razorcutters and of course the big ones, the Oceandepth Walkers, will be takin' this here jerkwater town. An' just in case ye're wonderin' why ye've only met goblins of my crew. Let’s just say we're more organized than ye think. Every crew got one part of the city for itself. We intends ta transformin' it into a cozy port for pirates, bounty hunters, rouges and others, lad. Aye," Ezim replied, as sure of himself as if he just said that the sky was blue.

"You think you can just walk in here, kill the citizens of this city and not fear any consequences? You will never get away with this! Our government will hunt you down for your crimes!" Forging Star announced angrily.

"Ye naive fool! Ye know nothin' about the world! Every country on this planet hasta process a new order, work with a new era. We know, fer example, that yer petty communications have no juice anymore. Every piece of your once mighty country has its own problems at the moment. Seriously, I just should keelhaul your worthless carcasses and have done with it. Besides, we don't kill ye humans jus' fer fun. Only the stubborn wannabe heroes who think they could oppose the new masters of this town, like yerselves. Nah, ye landlubbers will serve as needed. Orders from the top. Besides, lad, Fillydelphia be a nice cozy town directly by the great Celestial Sea. Indeed, perfect fer us pirates to conduct our businesses, aye. I'm sure ye understand, right?" Ezim explained maliciously and cackled like a maniac.

"Who?!" Forging star shouted for a last time. He had enough of Ezim's taunts.

"I guess I can tell it to a dead man. After all, as the ol' sayin goes, they tell no tales!” He laughed again at this, “Our most generous benefactor is the Royal Triumvirate, aye. The giants follow their every order and are only loyal to these three. Now, it's time to sleep with the fishes fer ye and the word 'Parley' won't save your life. Die!" Ezim exclaimed in finality.

He charged instantly at the human, dodging a bullet with effortless ease, because his sudden speed caught the police commander off-guard and his aim wasn't the best at the moment. His saber cut the man's side, before he could avoid further damage. In an instant, Forging Star pointed his weapon at the goblin and wanted to pull the trigger. Suddenly, he couldn't control his body anymore. Every muscle felt like it cramped at the same time. He couldn't breathe. He fell to the ground and locked eyes with a gleeful looking Ezim Knucklehammer in his last moments.

"Oh! I totally fergot to mention somethin' important. Sorry lad, I hope ye can forgive me. Y'see, I always coat me saber with a very, very potent poison. It causes muscle cramps all over your body in seconds if it enters yer blood. Neat, aye? At this very moment your heart stopped workin' and ye can't even breathe because of the strong pain, and your contracting muscles shattered all your ribs. But don't worry, yer city will be in good hands!" Ezim promised mockingly.

After one last breath, Police Commander Forging Star left this world, tears of defeat in his eyes. The captain took the Magnum from the man's corpse and put it under his red fabric belt.

"Aye, a fine trophy," he affirmed greedily, more to himself than anyone else.

He and his crew members laughed loudly and without restriction. They walked back to the inner city, celebrating their conquest of Fillydelphia.

Unnoticed by the captain and his fellow goblins, three witnesses sat behind a bus. The woman in the white cloak didn't seem to react at all, only shaking her head a little.

Sunburst held his head in his hands, sitting on the ground and trying to make sense out of everything. Also whispering to himself inaudibly.

Starlight was hit by Forging's death the hardest. She didn't know him at all before this day, but his grandfather-like attitude portrayed him as a good soul in her mind. A few tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Come on. We have to go. The city's exit is in our reach." the Dark Priest encouraged. The two friends silently nodded their heads in agreement. With heavy hearts, they left.

The scenery wasn't inviting at all. They still heard sounds of combat, crumbling buildings, raging flames consuming everything in their paths, screams of terror, the foreboding steps of nearby giants. Starlight wondered how much of the city would stand after everything was over and how the disgusting pirates planned to rebuild it in their own image.

"I have a question for you, Ms. Dark Priest," Sunburst started curiously. "Why didn't you help? You claimed that you could wield magic and showed us your phoenix flames. But you didn't do anything at all and let the commander die, why?" he inquired in the end with an accusing tone.

Starlight was interested, too.

The member of the New Dawn laughed as if he said something extremely funny, "Ha! I think you misunderstand something. I'll only fight when I know I can win and I don't take unknown risks that could include my death or something similar, which I would really like to avoid. I defend others if it makes sense for me. Meaning that I only aid someone who is in dire need, given that I have a chance of survival. But these pirates? That wasn't the case, I had no idea or clue what they could have at their disposal, still. Maybe this ‘Knucklehammer’ character had magic of his own? Then there is his poisoned blade that can kill in seconds. And for what? Why should I risk my life for some stranger I never met before in my life, who furthermore did nothing more than insult me, threaten me and was being a smartass to boot? I'm not one of those pathetic, disillusioned, suicidal people with a death wish and a hero complex all in one, for your information. I'm not some 'fabled hero', or 'chosen one' with a 'pure moral code', mmkay? I have no desire to play the avenger of the innocent or a self-proclaimed hero.”

Sunburst, who had a fond love for superheros, no matter of hero or in the real life, felt the need to voice his displeasure about her response, “I-I can’t believe you! What good has your power if you only use it for your own selfish gain and nothing else?! If you command great power, then you have the unwritten duty to help the less fortunate people! It is the right thing to do.”

He put such a passion in his little speech and it were moments like this when Starlight felt herself reminded why he, despite his awkwardness and nerdy moments, was fun to be around and why she would never trade his friendship for anything else.

Their mysterious magician stopped abruptly, her voice without emotion, “Do you know what my rank as a Dark Priest entails? I wander from place to place and look for potential new members for the Order and take missions, like bounty hunting, in the name of the highest paladins. In both cases I research, I inform myself about every important detail and prepare accordingly. I don't just rush in and hope luck alone will save the day for me. Only morons act like that and I'm not one of them. End of discussion," she finished her summation.

Sunburst looked in disgust at the Dark Priest. Starlight didn't know how to react. She would do everything in her power to save Sunburst, but people she never met? Children, of course, but otherwise? She guessed it depended on the situation at hand, but she wouldn't tell her friend about it.

"There are more humans, catch them!" a scratchy female voice shouted.

From behind them attacked five goblins, two with swords, three with spears in their hands.

"Oh? You think you can defeat me? How cute," the cloaked young woman said playfully. Finally she could vent her frustration on someone after all this righteous crap these people spilled at her.

Before the goblins could even blink, she sent one big concentrated sphere of fire in their direction and let it explode shortly in front of them. The explosion killed four immediately and one was still alive, badly injured.

The two childhood friends could only gape at the Dark Priest, who in response chuckled at them. "See? I can be very effective, if I so desire," she stated smugly.

A deep sound was heard and they saw it was the female goblin who spotted them in the first place. With her remaining strength, she blew a wooden, white, decorated horn and said with her last breath, in a croaking voice, "Y-you w-will p-pay," before she died

Loud steps echoed through the streets. Louder... louder... closer. Obviously, one of the giants came to aid the user of the horn.

"Shall we run for our lives?" Sunburst asked unnecessarily.

“Oh, yes. Let's,” Starlight replied fearfully, before they did so.

The city limit came into view. They were close, nearly safe. Only a little bit further. But the trio forgot their very angered pursuer, which made itself noticeable with a loud challenging cry, charging toward them at full speed. They were gaining distance, but they couldn't escape. It was only a straight road which led to their freedom. No side streets.

Sunburst didn't notice one of the many fissures on the street, which came into existence because of the giant's powerful steps, and stumbled.

"Whoa!" he screamed and fell face first onto hard concrete, groaning in agony.

"Sunburst!" Starlight wanted to help her friend, but the cloaked woman held her arm and pulled her further away from him. The giant advanced more. "W-What are you doing?! Are you insane?! We have to help him!" she shouted desperately at her now former ally.

This girl dared to endanger her friend's life!

"You can thank me later. If we turn around now, that thing will get to us as well and we'll all die," she replied in strained patience. The Dark Priest turned around again and didn't see how Starlight pulled her cloak's hood off her head.

For the first time, Starlight saw the face of the mysterious stranger. She was young and beautiful. Light amber perfect looking skin, smooth and slightly curly vivid crimson hair with brilliant yellow stripes. It reminded her for some reason of bacon. Moderate cyan eyes looked at her in an accusing manner. Lastly, she noticed a yellow and red shimmering sun in the form of earrings on both sides of the head.

"What is your problem?! You know what? I have no time for this! This is where we part company!" the Dark Priest stated in fury.

Purple and indigo phoenix wings came into existence on her back with a brilliant opal outline on the top of her graceful looking choice of escape.

She made herself ready to fly away, but Starlight Glimmer screamed at her lividly, "So that's it?! You just leave us down here, because you want to save yourself? Fine! At least tell me who you really are, so that I can curse you!"

How dared she?! This woman could escape because of her magic, but Sunburst, herself and every other human in this city had to accept their fate? That wasn't fair! Starlight cursed in her mind and questioned the sense of the last events.

"Fine. On a side note, it's not my problem that you weaklings have no magic on your own. I know that look in your eyes. Jealousy. How pathetic. I never asked for your names, but it's not important any more. My name is Sunset Shimmer, to answer your question. Oh, and you should run. The giant is nearly here," Sunset commented uncaringly.

The young woman flew away into the distance, leaving the city behind her, returning to the Order of the New Dawn.

Before Starlight could rant more, she heard a scream behind her; Sunburst. "NO!" Starlight could only watch helplessly as the Oceandepth Walker took him into its hand and tossed him with great force against a nearby building. She vaguely heard the sound of breaking bones.

Sunburst laid motionless in front of an abandoned shop that sold books before the attack. His body was utterly broken. And both arms, the left leg and his head were twisted at unnatural angles. He was clearly dead.

Starlight screamed in fury and despair.

Despair, because she just lost her best friend.

Fury, because that... that bitch! Sunset Shimmer! It was all her fault that her friend died, because she stopped her! The young scientist was furious, because of the sheer injustice. Why had some humans the ability to use magic, but others like herself didn't?! Why?! What made them so goddamned special?! If everyone would have magic then Sunburst would still be alive! She was sure of that.

"How dare you!" Starlight shouted in the direction of the giant which looked mockingly at her, taunting the young woman with gestures.

Before anything else could happen, out of nowhere, a brilliant magical circle of golden lightning came into existence above the two; maybe 10 meters in diameter. They looked up, but for the giant, it was the last action in its life.

A thick golden lightning bolt hit the unprepared being, engulfing it in electricity and magic. After some time the giant was clearly burnt, many black patches were seen upon its body and the air smelled like burned meat. Starlight nearly gagged. After a few seconds, it fell to the ground with a shattering sound, shaking the ground beneath them.

"Don't worry, child. I'll keep you safe," a distinctively female voice promised. The voice sounded like it sizzled with electricity.

In a flash, a new being came into existence in front of Starlight. It, no, she, looked like a tall humanoid being, made out of raspberry red lightning. She was 2.5 meters tall, had a slender, very female looking body, except for the chest, it seemed and purple gleaming eyes.

She wore vibrant orange plate armor around the feet, the hip, chest, hands and head, Zyphorium, with light silver symbols in Kalamdur, which made it possible to wear the armor with such a manner of body for an entity of thunder such as her. Not that Starlight knew that at this point. The armor itself was built very slim, fitting her perfectly, like a second skin. The helmet had an open ventail. The entire armor in general had raspberry red adornments on the edges, giving the being a very elegant and respect-inducing aura.

On her own way, she was beautiful in the woman’s opinion.

"Who are you? And thank you for saving me. My name is S-Starlight Glimmer," Starlight said in a wincing tone. Why, Sunburst?

"I was around these parts for a mission and felt your pain, young Starlight. I am Thunder Huntress Iona. A thunder elemental," Iona explained with care. "I witnessed the last moments of this human male. I saw and felt it through your actions that he was very dear to you. But he wouldn't want from you to despair. Tell me; what is it you desire the most in the moment? I'm confident that I can help you with your wish."

"I... I... I want justice! So many innocent humans died and they didn't have any chance to defend themselves, except this Sunset Shimmer, this disgusting magician, who ran, no, flew away like a coward. If everyone could use some form of magic and it wouldn't be dependent on if they were 'chosen' to wield magic, then everything would be much better! I wish I could bring equality to all humans and show every one of these accursed mages that they are nothing special. That their magical talents are unimportant in a place where everyone is equal, nothing to be proud of. Everyone deserves a chance to defend themselves, not just persons who got lucky! It was because of her that Sunburst died, because she stopped me and didn't even try to help us. Well, she could escape with magic!" Starlight let out her frustrations of the past hours, days and weeks whenever she heard again and again that someone died and nothing could be done about it.

Now she knew the truth. It was always because of some magical incident or strong magical creature, but the humans couldn't defend themselves, because they had no magic of their own. She knew what she had to do in this moment: to bring true harmony back, equality for every single human. Starlight Glimmer would prove that this world didn't need special talents of a select few.

"Maybe there is a way," Iona mused out loud.

"What do you mean?" the scientist asked in hope. Could there really be a chance?

"Of course. If you accept, that is," the thunder elemental replied calmly.

"Anything!" the young woman swore.

"When you accept and pledge your loyalty to our cause, I can use my power to infuse you with the magic of a thunder elemental. It would transform you from a human to a half-elemental. It would give you some advantages, I can assure you. Afterwards, we would return to the Elemental Planes, more specifically, the Gleaming Islands. The thunder elementals' home. I will teach and train you. Think of it as studying a new subject. Then, one day, when you've learned enough, you can return to this world, convince your fellow humans to follow us and everyone could be made equal, like you've always desired. You would all be under the same banner and be known as the Scions of Thunder, serving Lord Imperion. Do you accept, Starlight Glimmer?" Iona enquired smoothly.

That was the perfect opportunity! She could gain her own power and later convince other defenseless humans to follow her. Besides, Iona was very nice. She even saved her life when she didn't have to. The woman would make Sunset Shimmer pay one day, avenging Sunburst's death and create a new form of hope for mankind! She decided without a second thought.

"Yes! I will support you, Lady Iona. Please, teach me!" Starlight answered eagerly.

"As you wish, my Scion," Iona accepted dutifully.

She put one of her lightning-surrounded hands upon the girl’s head. But to Starlight’s surprise, there was no pain. Only power! So much power. The transformation started.

A strawberry red magical circle made of lightning with a diameter of 2 meters appeared under the human. Her entire body was surrounded by magic. After a few seconds, the flash died down and the new Starlight Glimmer made her entrance.

Her moderate Persian eyes changed color to a luminous orange, electric sparks dancing in them. Her skin changed to violet and then there was her hair. The moderate purple changed to golden yellow, the light purple to sand yellow and the pale, light-grayish-aquamarine highlights to pearl white. Illuminated from the rays of the sun. Otherwise, her hair stayed much the same as before.

She wore now elegant armor over her entire body, except a helmet. The chest piece, the gauntlets, the boots and shin armor were made of Zyphorium in a rare color; instead of vibrant orange it was a brilliant silver-gray, festooned with symbols in the language of the elementals. The pony counterpart's Cutie Mark on the chest. The rest of the armor was Ampharite in its typical slightly visible dark shade of jade, her body's, now natural generated, lightning got denser there, which nearly made it impossible for common attacks to harm the Scion of Thunder. Light turquoise sparks moved over her body.

The former human was now like a living energy field.

With a distorted voice, she spoke, "I feel the power of thunder. The magic of an elemental. Thank you for this possibility, Lady Iona, I won't disappoint you." she bent to one knee in reverence.

"It was my pleasure. I know you won't. Now, my Scion, be recognized in our society, your fellow elementals and later from the humans after you returned. Together we will help these poor souls," Iona announced with determination. "Rise, Arclight, Starlight Glimmer!"

The newly made half-elemental would achieve her dreams. For Sunburst. For her childhood friend. A little voice in the back of her head questioned the entity’s motives. She put it aside. Obviously Iona just wanted to help her with achieving her desires. Nothing more.

"I am ready, Mistress," Starlight assured in delight.

The elemental nodded her head and in a flash of light, they were gone.

After four days, she received her first assignment, because she made huge progress and was able to control her new elemental magic much better than expected. Some amphibious looking bipedal frog tribe tried to invade the Gleaming Islands. The ‘Shockskins’, she believed they were called. They had the audacity to proclaim themselves as the lords of thunder. What arrogant blasphemy.

Thunder Huntress Iona gave her the task to return to Terra, to endorse herself into the Amazons with the help of some selected thunder elementals. There she would show the disrespectful tribe their boundaries.

If necessary, by force.

In baby steps she came closer and closer to her final dream. Someone knocked on the door, possibly one of the elementals who were under her command for the duration of this mission.

"Lady Glimmer, the preparations are finished. Mistress Iona awaits you at the portal for a last briefing," a thunder elemental informed her through the door with a ‘male’ voice.

She still had some difficulties in recognizing the voices and giving them a gender and a name. Even when, in theory, an elemental had none. In most cases they decided to choose one, still.

Luckily, she recognized this voice. He taught her the art of close combat. "Thank you, Warden Ferrad. Please tell Lady Iona that I will meet her immediately," Starlight replied in gratitude.

Steps in front of the door went silent after some time.

She summoned her armor, took necessary notes and other things with her in a small, enchanted, teal leather bag. She bought it from some merchant on Ashin. Backpacks just annoyed her and weren't the best choice in more dangerous situations.

With a goal in sight, Arclight Starlight Glimmer left her room in order to meet the huntress. One day, Sunburst's death would be avenged and Sunset Shimmer would pay for it. And all the other magicless humans would soon appreciate her solution, helping them to achieve power of their own.

Yes, she was sure; Only the elementals could free mankind.

"W-What happened?!" Indigo Zap shouted, suddenly awake and ready to kick the Terrorbeast in the butt once again.

Where was she anyway?

"Ah, one of our courageous heroes has awakened from her slumber," a, for Indigo, unfamiliar, but calming voice commented in amusement.

The Shadowbolt turned her head and came face to face with hazelnut brown eyes and noticed after some time that she stared at a mysterious and very beautiful woman. She lost herself in those eyes. Indigo felt like she was caught doing something forbidden.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare! I j-just didn't expect someone like... you. I mean I liked looking at you. No, wait! I didn't mean that in a creepy way! I-" Indigo stammered, blushing up a storm. She was utterly unprepared for encountering the young Emerald Elf.

Luckily for the athlete, Luviel didn't mind at all, "Don't worry, young one. I'm already used to such reactions from you humans. You must be Indigo Zap. Your friends told me about you. It is nice to finally meet the girl with the infamous Lightning Magic. My name is Luviel Dawnseeker of the Emerald Elves. Your friends brought you here after the battle with the Terrorbeast. It seems you used all your available mana and lost consciousness in combat," she reopened the conversation with a warm smile.

Well, now the girl felt awkward for reacting like this in the first place. Just great. "No problem. Where are we?" She tried to play it cool. Maybe it even worked.

"You are in Cheerilee's house. Or, should I say, her guest room," the elf answered calmly.

Indigo looked around herself and examined for the first time her surroundings. The walls were painted in a fuchsia color. Her bed was made out of beige wood. Her blanket and pillow were covered by light green sheets. The mattress was light red, and aside from the bed, the room had not much more to offer for the eye than a little orange colored dresser and a plain-looking black floor lamp. The floor was made out of oaken boards.

"Wait. You said: 'After the battle'. So the others could defeat that.... thing? Are my friends OK?!" she asked in panic.

"I think we should go downstairs for further discussion. Besides, the others are waiting for you. I just came to look for your awakening, because I felt your consciousness' return," Luviel replied.

"You can do such things, Ms. Dawnseeker?" Indigo asked, astonished and in sincere interest.

The woman saw the interested look upon the girl’s face and couldn't contain her inner jester. "Just Luviel is alright. Yes, I can do such things. The magic of us Emerald Elves can be very helpful. I can do many things you could hardly even dream of," the elf answered and said the last part of her sentence with a seductive wink.

She left the room and laughed because of the young human’s shocked facial expression, leaving a dirty-minded and embarrassed teenager behind. The girl facepalmed after she realized that the Emerald Elf had tricked her.

"She is good..." Indigo muttered to herself and followed Luviel out of the room.

"Do you think Indigo is finally awake? This girl could sleep through an earthquake!" Sour Sweet commented with a chuckle.

"We have to show patience. Our new friend said that she is sure that it wouldn't be long before the girl would awaken," Zecora replied with closed eyes, meditating..

"I still can't believe that Ms. Dawnseeker and you, Ms. Cheerilee, rescued the trapped souls of Gloriosa Daisy and Timber Spruce and fought perverted imps and burning corpses. That's all kinds of awesome! Why couldn't our teachers be so cool?! We only got an insane principal," Lemon voiced her opinion with a happy grin.

"These 'Lecherous Imps', or whatever Luviel called them... were not awesome. It was disgusting." Cheerilee shuddered, just from thinking about the demons.

"Are you kidding me? You didn't have to evade these perverted things. You had the easy part of the job," the Emerald Elf stated with a deadpan after the entered the room.

Indigo followed and was instantly hugged by her friends, Lemon, Sour and Sugarcoat. "I missed you girls too," the arisen Lightning Magic user said smugly. Hugging back as strong as possible.

After the reunion, everyone took a prepared seat in Cheerilee's kitchen. They'd brought a lot of chairs in there.

"I think we should bring Indigo up to date and plan our next step." Sugarcoat started in her usual monotone voice. The others nodded their heads in agreement.

Indigo Zap noticed something that she missed during the hug. "Sour, your right leg! Are you OK?" she asked in worry and looked at the bandages around her friend's leg. She remembered how Sour Sweet injured herself because of the melted tar, shortly before she went all-out on the Terrorbeast and got it good.

"Don't worry, Indigo. Everything is fine. Zecora's tonics, magic and mixtures are just incredible. soon I can take these annoying things off. I need to scratch my leg, as soon as possible," Sour Sweet replied in annoyance.

"Alright guys. What happened after I... decided to take a nap?" Indigo inquired, chuckling.

"I can inform you. So listen well," Sugarcoat instructed in her teacher-mode. Or, as her close friends named this serious state of mind, the ‘Sugar-Zone’.

The mistress of bluntness told her friend about everything from the moment the girl passed out, down to how she saved Indigo with her last remaining energy. the girl in question hugged her tightly. Sugarcoat had to endure a painful five seconds break before she could continue.

After that, she explained Lemon Zest's new Shadow Magic.

Or at least she tried before she was interrupted anew from the Shadow Mage herself, "You should have seen it, dude! I totally saved you both from being roasted like a chicken! The guy was pissed after I did that and wanted to eat me instead. I used my ability 'Shadow Lance', concentrated and like a ninja I attacked when he didn't expect it at all and gave him a headshot! I saved the day like some kind of superhero!”

Indigo eyed her friend with a forced smile, sometimes this girl was much too hyper, “Oh. Did you give it a name?” To her confusion, the others groaned.

The rock music lover was triggered anew, “I called this finisher: 'The Penetrator', but Sugarcoat went all dictionary on my case and said this name was perverted or something like that, so I had to let the name be, because I didn't like other names." Lemon looked at Sugarcoat before she continued. "You are much too prudish, Sugy. I mean, if you called, you know, some special toy of yours like that, you should have said so and I-"

The others girls weren't faring better as the completely shocked Sugarcoat and blushed furiously. Zecora just shook her head, chuckling, and Luviel laughed at the energetic girl's antics. Cheerilee tried to ignore this piece of information and focused on banishing unwanted images of some pleasure toy that would be fitting of such a name from her mind with all her might. Luckily it worked.

Sugarcoat had heated cheeks, too because of Lemon's shameless teasing and interrupted this time herself, "Lemon Zest! Stop this instant!" She calmed herself after her little moment and continued, now back to her usual behaviour, "I never said anything like that! I only said to you that such a name is unbecoming and would cause misinterpretations and equivocations with the others."

"As I said... dictionary" Lemon muttered audible only to herself.

The glasses wearing teenager explained to Indigo how the group returned to Ponyville at a slow speed after the fight, because she couldn't walk without help. The same problem counted for Sour, and Indigo herself was unconscious. She was supported by Lemon and Zecora helped Sour Sweet to walk with one arm and took Indigo onto her back until they'd nearly reached Ponyville over some hidden ways Zecora knew from her time in the Everfree Forest so that the other humans didn't find them.

They returned to Zecora's hut and shop where the troll shaman made some of her ingredients and plants into a healing ointment for the group's injuries and tonics for regenerating mana at a faster rate. They helped and in the end the group recovered much faster on this way than would be normally the case. Indigo thanked the shaman, who in response smiled kindly.

Then Sugarcoat told the girl how Luviel and Ms. Cheerilee entered shortly later, and described what the duo reported to them about their little mission about the two Soul Prisons and how they freed the cursed souls, after defying the odds. Especially the first prison with Gloriosa's soul gave Indigo Zap a great story she wouldn't forget.

"I swear, Vyndrak did that on purpose!" Luviel shouted, disgusted. Sugarcoat's eye twitched, because she was interrupted, again. Indigo and Lemon Zest laughed at the Emerald Elf's plight.

The Illusion Magic user coughed slightly and gained everyone's attention once again. "Well, to finish the whole story, Indigo. After we met in Zecora's hut, we decided to rest up in Ms. Cheerilee's house after she invited us and because she didn't have enough space for everyone. Besides, you needed a bed to recover in peace. It's now five in the morning, the others from the farm are maybe wondering where we are, because we disappeared now for one whole day." She looked at everyone of their group. "What do you suggest we do now?"

Cheerilee cleared her throat to make a suggestion, "We should leave Ponyville and go to Sweet Apple Acres, as long as most people are still sleeping. We sneaked into my house last night and were lucky, but we have to be careful now. It won't end well for us if Zecora or Luviel are seen. Without the curse upon the citizens' mind, they can think clearly again. And when they remember that they were under control it will only become worse. Even without the mind control, many people are already very angry about everything and everyone they lost and what transpired in the last short time.”

Luviel sighed in pity in some frustration, crossing her arms, “Especially the refugees from Canterlot and with good reason, because those people lost their existence. It was burned to ashes by the fire elementals. They declared in response that anything that isn't human is some kind of mortal enemy and made it clear that they would 'punish' everyone in this town who supports non-humans.” She was still not sure if she could believe the tales about these ‘elementals’, but the elf could confirm for herself that Cheerilee spoke lastly the truth about Ponyville

“I don't like the thought of leaving my home, but I won't just hide here and wait for my end at the next attack when I could do something more productive like helping you. Besides, the principals are there as well and I won't let Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna do everything on their own with so many teenagers around them," Cheerilee stated with a nervous expression upon her face, but determination in her voice.

Zecora nodded her head in support. "Indeed. I don't appreciate such an option, either, but I have to leave Ponyville and my current home, too. The curse forced the people to stay away from my shop until now since my transformation and confused them. But some customers will soon surely return. They will spread the word about me the moment they see what I have become, without question.”

Fear turned to sadness.

Sadness turned to anger and pain.

Anger and pain turned to hatred.

The shaman frowned with a glance outside from behind a curtain, “The start of a cycle of violence which knows no victor, only loss and suffering. I need to return to my shop, take everything with me that is possible to transport and come with you to Sweet Apple Acres. In this dark time, it won't end well to be connected to magic in any shape or form for any of us. Human or not," she explained.

"I agree and would like to come with you, too. I promised to stop Vyndrak and the Adepts of Khom, I suggest we band together, after everything that's happened. We need a base of operation which isn't in jeopardy every moment because of curious and hostile eyes, as is the case in this place," the Emerald Elf voiced her point of view in a serious tone.

"Then we are clear, I think. We number seven people at the moment. Ms. Dawnseeker." the exotic beauty sighed quietly to herself at the formality in annoyance, nobody heard her. "Indigo and I will help Zecora with collecting everything she needs from her shop. Lemon and Sour, you will help Ms. Cheerilee to pack whatever she needs out of her home. We'll meet again in one hour at Zecora's shop and return before we risk detection from the inhabitants of Ponyville," Sugarcoat shared her plan.

Everyone agreed.

They started their tasks and would soon return to Sweet Apple Acres. Zecora, Cheerilee and Luviel decided to join the others to fight the odds.

Sugarcoat didn't show it, but on the inside she was nervous. The ex-student of Crystal Prep just hoped that the adults and Sunny Flare wouldn't be angry with her, because she just decided without asking anyone else to bring more people to Applejack's farm.

Only time would tell.

Author's Note

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

First, I planned to fit the Starlight part, the Ponyville part and the part of the three human counterparts of the princesses, into this chapter alone. But then I always had new ideas how to write and implement more. Filling in things I wasn't sure first how to do it and or connect them accordingly.

I wanted more and more exposition and wasn't satisfied with a half-hearted fast description just to rush forward. It didn't suit my desires how to write this big universe.

Well, next chapter I'll have enough space for the last remaining team (Cadance, Luna, Celestia), which didn't make its way back yet to Sweet Apple Acres. :yay:

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 13 - Ghastly Encounter

"Faster! Someone needs our help!" Luna urged in excitement.

It confused the other two to no end. Was the sprinting woman in front of them really this... ‘happy’ that someone was in danger?

The midnight blue magician prayed for an upcoming fight of epic proportions. A chance to gain honor and to enhance her skills. The timberwolves were too weak for her liking and Commander Raga was much too strong. Well, never mind! The ex-vice-principal itched for a real challenge, one worthy of her abilities.

Celestia and Cadance followed the action-seeking knight of the moon, having problems keeping up with their relative.

"Luna, slow down!" Celestia demanded, annoyed.

"We have to stay together! You don't know what we'll have to face!" Cadance added in support, panting.

The former vice-principal ignored the ‘requests’ of her sister and niece. Who played the hardest games? Mastered the most difficult riddles in them? Was the leader of one of the best guilds? A trained swordswoman? Her! She was sure her intelligence and know-how would be enough to defy the odds. Luna could hear occasionally how the others had problems keeping up with her, sometimes missing the unevenness of the ground, or nearly stumbling because of a stone in their path.

She sighed. Casuals.

Luna just hoped that Celestia could tank the damage and keep the aggro. She could always insult their foes or something like that, maybe throwing something at them. She trusted her big sister's judgment. Their group's only problem was that they didn't have a healer. Cadance could maybe count as a gentle support, outside of dangerous battles. The night-loving woman would deal the DPS, obviously.

On another note, Celestia surely gained already +5 on weight because of all the cakes the devoured earlier on the farm which were made by Granny Smith. Luna was sure of that.

After the next treeline, she reached a slope. Not too steep. Sloped enough to climb down. The rest of her family caught up, giving the lunar knight a disapproving stare.

"What?" Luna asked in an innocent tone.

"Don't you 'what' me, Lulu! I know that you heard us. Why did you run so far ahead?" Celestia interrogated her little sister, irritated.

Cadence couldn't share her opinion. She had to take deep breaths, to take a break. The former dean didn't usually run this much, this fast. Not since her last sports festival in college.

"Stay back, thou monstrosity!" someone shouted, commanding.

Celestia would recognize this authoritarian and old fashioned voice anywhere. She had to do with this man when she talked with his wife after their daughter caused damage on school property, when she tried to use a self-made ‘party cannon’.

Igneous Rock Pie, the patriarch of the Pie Family and father of Pinkie Pie.

"Look!" Cadance exclaimed and pointed with her finger at the scene beneath them.

They were now in a part of the Everfree they'd never seen, only heard from, before. Even before the changes, it was always a dangerous place and nobody should venture into this part of the forest because of many dangers and strange rumors, which gave this place a bad reputation and an equally foreboding name. Ghastly Gorge.

Pinkie Pie's entire family stood with their backs to the slope, beneath the trio.

Igneous Rock stood in front of his wife and a girl. Glaring holes into the beast in front of them.

His wife, Cloudy Quartz, as Celestia recognized, stood with determination in front of the shyest and most scared looking girl, who hid her face behind her hair, closest to the slope. Celestia nearly squeed inside of her mind because of the adorable sight.

She didn't know the shy girl and the bored looking one. The later positioned herself at the very front and created... walls of stone? She must be a mage and have discovered her inner magic! They had to be the two of the four remaining Pie Sisters Celestia never met before.

The former principal remembered the girl beside the unknown one. Second oldest of the four sisters, from what Pinkie Pie told her when she once asked the girl if she was related to her. Limestone Pie. Celestia had recognized the surname.

She had a hot temper and was easy to annoy, but the young woman had a good head on her shoulders and her heart at the right place. If that only would be the case for her tongue. Celestia lost count of how many times she had to call Pinkie's big sister into her office, because she butted heads with other students.

And what was this creature that attacked them? They needed a well thought-out plan, and fast it seemed.

"Luna, Cadance, listen. I think we should-" Celestia couldn't finish, because a certain midnight blue person decided to take things into her own hands, testing her luck. The woman showed her big sister's possible ideas and plans the metaphorical middle finger.

"Huzzah!" Luna shouted her patented battlecry, summoned her wings and flew straight into the unknown foe, ready to fight!

Cadance, meanwhile, looked in shock after her attacking aunt as she simultaneously tried to climb down to help.

Well, at least the endangered family.

The left-behind paragon of patience and former principal of the infamous Canterlot High School, the unofficial beacon for magical incidents since the last Fall Formal, by the way, knew how to respond.

She didn't have to waste a second thought for her choice of words, "Are you kidding me?!"

Limestone Pie was annoyed. More so than she usually was in many situations and that meant something. Nothing positive, to be sure. She remembered how they searched the entire time since the invasion of Canterlot for her little sister, Pinkie Pie. Or as she called her; Pinks.

She was moody, maybe, but nothing could destroy or even scratch Limestone's undying devotion to her little sister.

She would find her, no matter what. And if anyone, anything, flame demons or whatever else included, had the balls to lay even a finger on her…! Well, the consequences wouldn't be pretty for the ones responsible. It was literally in the unwritten job description for the big sister to protect the younger sibling from any harm, in her book.

A few hours prior, they asked around in Ponyville if someone saw Pinkie Pie, or someone from Camp Everfree in general. Nobody could help them. And not only, because they didn't know anything, but because they didn't react, in most cases. It was like they were under some kind of mind control.

Which they were, but they couldn't know that.

The girl could have sworn she saw how Ms. Cheerilee, once her own teacher in her time at CHS before she graduated, walked with fast steps in the direction of the Ponyville Cathedral. She was accompanied by a stranger, clearly a woman, who hid her entire appearance under an elegant red cloak. The second eldest sibling didn't know that the woman was religious, but she had no chance to ask any questions anyway. Cheerilee had already disappeared out of sight.

Limestone and her family continued their search elsewhere in town.

The last time they could hear Pinkie's voice, was from her cellphone. Well, before the devices all died off, for some reason. She explained, in good old Pinkie Pie-Style, how she loved Camp Everfree and that she just learned to make ‘sprinkles explode’.

Seriously, the second eldest Pie Sister loved the party-lover to bits, but Pinkie's imagination was sometimes simply amazing. Not always in a good way.

Besides, that would be like the worst. Superpower. Ever! Still, it would oddly be very fitting for her sister, when she thought about it. It was her younger sibling, after all, so it had to be true. Pinks had never lied to her family before.

It reminded her furthermore of all the fantastic stories Pinkie Pie told them about herself, her friends from CHS and some highly questionable events at the school itself. She remembered them all and tried to make sense out of it, with mixed results. After the attack of these guys which were made out of freaking living flames, the stories weren't as impossible anymore as she first thought or wanted to admit earlier. Even after she believed in the existence of magic before Canterlot happened.

Her younger sister mentioned said stories with a gleeful smile and it gave Limestone a headache to even think about them because of the level of impossibility that things that were considered fantasy were now reality.

Her sibling’s friend, Sunset Shimmer, the once infamous girl from CHS with the audacity to bully her sister, was one of these strange oddities. In fact, she would have introduced the girl gladly to the backside of Holder's Boulder, but that's another thing entirely. Was Pinks for real? Shimmer was supposed to be an actual Unicorn from some rainbow colored pony land called ‘Equestria’?

This was just insane, even for her sister. Worse, after she befriended that girl, Limestone had to tolerate her and wasn't allowed to give Sunset Shimmer a good smack on the back of her head and a kick in the a-uh... rather, she wanted to have a nice civil talk, of course. That was the plan! She had to tolerate the amber colored teenager in their house on several occasions already.

It wasn't like Limestone hated Sunset, but she could hold a grudge for a very long time against people who harmed her family in any shape, form or scale. It didn't matter to her. You messed with her family? You were down for the count. Period!

At the school's Fall Formal last year, the same girl tried to use some ‘magical artifact’ a tiara, to transform into a ‘raging she-demon’. Pinks called her a ‘misunderstood meanie pants’, who had allegedly enslaved the students of the facility and destroyed the school's entrance with ‘magic’ in order to conquer this Equestria so that she could reign supreme.

Seriously, whoever tried to enslave her family and friends for such reasons, or tried to enslave them at all, for that matter, would not in a million years be accepted as her friend. Never! Limestone would stay firm on that.

But Sunset Shimmer was stopped by a girl called ‘Twilight Sparkle’, who was the owner of this ‘magical crown’ and also a ‘pony princess’ of this magical land to boot. She made Pinkie and her closest friends realize that they were and should be best friends and their problems with each other were started because of the former bully's actions in the past with the goal of destroying their friendship.

Again... why wasn't she allowed to teach her a lesson? This girl deserved a knuckle-sandwich! Or several! Well, never mind.

This whole thing ended arguably with some magical laser show. She didn't listen, because it sounded much too corny for her. the power of the ‘magic of friendship’. Just thinking about it made her shudder.

The point was they grew, in Pinkie's own words, ‘cute ponytails and adorable pony ears’. Yep, that was a thing, too, apparently. They transformed Sunset Shimmer back into a human and ever since then the girl started to become one of her sister's best friends.

After the dance party, in the morning, Pinkie told them all about it in detail with her usual happiness over breakfast, like it was as obvious as saying that the sky was blue.

Limestone had never considered that this all could be true. Even with later existing videos on the internet. Why should she? Something like this couldn't just be kept under wraps in her opinion and they never had the problem that some cliched agents from the government appeared suddenly in front of their doorstep and demanded that Pinkie Pie should come with them. So Limestone always guessed that her sister was somehow involved in the making of these videos and her story was just some fantasy tale to get clicks.

She should have questioned and thought more about the destroyed front door and school grounds, made by ‘explosions’, which were caused by a simple ‘gas leak’. Did no one ever ask more difficult questions rather than simply believing in such a story? Of course, now it was easy to say. How did the saying go? Hindsight is 20-20, now.

So even the giant rainbow, at night time, which was reported by many witnesses that night, didn't receive any recognition. If the secondary Pie Sister looked back now, she really wondered... what made everyone ignore such an event? Never questioning this impossibility again?

It was so confusing for her. So many witnesses, videos and questionable excuses and nobody was surprised. Not even a little bit? Or how got Sunset Shimmer the brilliant idea to conquer an entire country with a ‘mind controlled teenager army’? Seriously!? Or if this crown was so important for this ‘Princess Twilight’, then why didn't she just steal it and returned to her homeworld in order to be done with the whole incident? It wasn't like the police could just follow her back to Equestria.

This whole thing felt like a gigantic, unexplained combination of bad plot holes of a movie or a cartoon. It made her chuckle mentally. What a ridiculous thought.

Limestone thought that after the Fall Formal it would be over with the ‘magical incidents’. Far from it.

Three months later. Banished, at-least-1000-year-old sirens from this Equestria place, the Dazzlings, wanted to conquer the world with their voices. Yeah. That seemed to have happened as well. It sounded like the ruler of this Equestria, or some other important figure, thought it would be a brilliant idea to use their world as a trashcan to dump evil beings here. The girl didn't like that idea one. Single. Bit.

They fed off of adoration and conflict to gain power and wanted to start their rule at Canterlot High's competition, the Battle of the Bands, when the most people would be there. Once again, this magical princess, Pinkie and her other friends, this time even Sunset Shimmer, too, defeated them.

The group of friends did it that time with a giant rainbow-colored horse after the sirens attacked them in their true forms as ‘Sea Ponies’ and with the magic of friendship, again. And music. They, ughh! ‘Ponied up’. Again, Pinks’ choice of words, not hers and defeated them. They broke the sirens' mind control and saved the day.

Maybe Limestone missed something in her time there, but she never remembered that CHS was that kind of school. The kind you normally only read or heard about in cheesy animes. Not that she believed Pinkie Pie completely, but it became much more difficult for her to ignore her claims because of more than enough videos with ‘special effects’, which proved Pinkie's story.

People could see how they just transformed, like Pinkie Pie always described it. Complete with a change of hair color this time, too. In the front of a huge crowd no less. They fought the nearly flying demonic Dazzlings with their instruments. For real? The white girl… Schmarity? Clarity? Ah, right, she was called Rarity. She just shot at the three flying things with magicaldiamonds in these videos.

Obviously, everyone believed the principals who said that everything was well-made special effects, created and allowed by them. Yeeesss... of course.

Limestone was skeptical and asked Pinkie Pie later if she could show her how she transformed. Her little sister played a few notes on her drum at home, behind closed doors, in Pinkie's room, and it really happened. She grew real pony ears and a ponytail as an extension of her hair. She was even ticklish behind her transformed ears, much to the pink girl's amusement.

After this reality shattering demonstration and the proof that the stories were true, Limestone demanded a full recap of the past events since the Fall Formal. But this time she listened to every detail. After her sister was finished, it was clear to her what she had to do.

She had to protect her sister! Limestone didn't know how their parents or siblings would react or if they already suspected things at this time, but they couldn't risk that one day someone might look deeper into the events. Like a very curious scientist.

It all confirmed the feelings she had whenever her Limestone Sense told her that Pinkie was in immediate danger. The first time her personal seventh sense warned her during the night of the Fall Formal. The second time during the final of the Battle of the Bands. Both times she was confused and slightly scared and always instantly tried to reach her sister via cellphone. And after some time, when she was on the verge of running out of the house to search for Pinks, the girl in question called back.

She was told that everything was ‘okey-dokey’ on both occasions.

Now... it made all sense, after Pinkie's explanations. The attack of the corrupted Sunset Shimmer and the confrontation with the Dazzlings. these were the two warnings she received.

Her Limestone Sense told the secondary Pie Sister in general whenever one of her siblings, parents or family in general, were about to be in a very dangerous and unexpected situation and could be majorly injured. It gave her a... feeling so she would find them should they be in danger and she wasn't there.

Luckily, including the two times with Pinks to that point it ‘only’ alarmed her five times in her life until now. Strangely, nothing happened in Canterlot, even when Marble stumbled and this thing nearly got her. It was like her special sense somehow knew that Maud would protect the shy girl and nobody of her family would receive any harm. Confusing. It surprised even herself, as its owner.

Limestone was sure that Maud and Pinkie Pie didn't fare any better in the matter of knowing how their special senses worked, exactly. Marble didn't show any kind of Marble Sense until now. Maybe she'll discover it, still? Their parents never had something like that and couldn't believe it at first whenever one of the three showed their unique ability. Still, it was common knowledge by know, but only in the Pie Family, what kind of special senses the sisters possessed.

One time, when they were little kids, she prevented Marble from walking straight into a covered hole in the Everfree. It could have caused heavy injuries, or worse.

Or last year, when her Limestone Sense gave her the feeling that she should stop Maud from searching rare rocks for the eldest's collection in the morning. Maud obeyed her sibling's plea without asking questions and as it turned out, a rockslide happened a few hours later at exactly the place the girl wanted to be.

Speaking of Maud. She had her own Maud Sense, which told her when someone she knew well or was very good friends with someone from her family was fundamentally wrong about defining something, especially, but not limited to rocks.

Her pet rock, Boulder, was found at the age of nine, when for the first time in her life Maud's Maud Sense informed her when her former teacher, a good of friend of her mother, was wrong. They were in a museum for old sedimentary and her teacher wanted to explain a few types of stone. She randomly took out of a few samples and tried to do it alone from memory. Maud knew every time when her teacher was wrong. The little girl was very surprised, nobody could see it at all and stumbled against the table the samples stood on. One of the samples, a graptolitic argillite, broke into pieces and one of these pieces, a perfectly shaped little stone, fell directly in front of her feet.

It was destiny, Maud was sure of that. A legend was born. Maud considered since that day to search for a friend Boulder could connect with, even if it was a difficult task. Boulder was very stubborn and polished stones were much too ‘stuck-up’ for his tastes. He always 'told' her that. But Maud always thought he was just shy and not so good at making friends, which his owner could relate to.

Unto this day she never found another rock which suited her and Boulder's tastes. She would name the next rock Tom.

Pinkie had her Pinkie Sense sometimes, in the form of a very cold feeling in her stomach and chest, from what Pinks said, that told her when one of her best friends or family was depressed. So she tried her best to cheer them up. But that only happened three times until now in her life.

When her friend Rainbow Dash felt down after a lost soccer match. It was the grand finale.

When Marble's hamster, Claystone, died.

And to Limestone's knowledge, the third time was when Sunset Shimmer was depressed during the whole Anon-a-Miss incident.

She didn't understand that whole situation at all. The young Pie was maybe still a little mad at the girl for bullying her sister, but even she knew and was sure that it made no sense at all. Why would she try to befriend everyone and turn for the better just to out of nowhere destroy everything she worked so hard for with petty gossip? Without covering her tracks, no less? Sunset Shimmer was an intelligent girl, Limestone had to admit and in all her time as the most feared school bully of CHS, nobody could prove anything against her. She wouldn't get caught that easily, in her opinion. Well, this farce was solved soon.

Back to the whole magic-business, it was still strange for her to acknowledge it. Limestone demanded that Pinkie was more careful in the future and to take care of herself. She even thought shortly about demanding the performance of the girl's very own Pinkie Promise, but Limestone would never use that against her own sister. So it was out of the question.

The young woman kept silent about her sibling's... what did she call it? ‘Equestrian magic’? And for a few months, everything was fine. Then the infamous Friendship Games happened and for the fifth time in her life, the Limestone Sense tingled.

Pinks explained to her later that the ‘human version’ of Princess Twilight Sparkle appeared during the Friendship Games, as a participant of Crystal Prep to this time and used some device which drained some magic from Pinkie and her friends. Pinks swore it was an accident and Limestone shouldn't blame ‘Twi-Twi’ for it.

So this Equestria wasn't only in another world, but was some kind of parallel world? Wait, did that mean that she had a ‘pony counterpart’ there, too? Limestone decided to not think about it. To much of a headache and too many implications.

The curious lavender girl wanted to understand magic. After the machines from her lab detected unknown forms of energy coming from CHS, she started to investigate further during the games.

In the last event of ‘Capture the Flag’, she released, because of peer pressure and blackmailing, so Pinkie declared, the collected, stolen, magic and was corrupted by it. Twilight transformed into some dark sub-demon, named ‘Midnight Sparkle’ and tried to destroy their freaking dimension just so that she could go to Equestria to understand magic.

The second eldest rarely facepalmed so hard in her life as when her sister told the entire family about the Friendship Games in the evening. No wonder her Limestone Sense reacted! If, to her own sincere surprise, Sunset Shimmer didn't stop the mad girl with the... magic of friendship again, it would have been all over for them.

At this point, she really didn't understand why unto this day the government didn't do anything. Were they all like...

"Oh, look! Magical incidents are happening, even mind control. You know, the very dangerous stuff. Our dimension is falling apart, we have tons of evidence that very strange things are happening in Canterlot. What should we do, Mr. Crappy Agent?"

"Hmm, looks complicated and threatening to our lives. Maybe even the whole world... nah, this must be very well-made videos. Let's just ignore it. Good day, sir."

"But the satellite images, the reports, the-"

"I said: Good day!"

Her ever-smiling sister had way too much influence on her way of thinking sometimes, Limestone realized. Which made her a little worried.

Moreover, it was so confusing! But she wouldn't wake sleeping dogs. It would be safer for her sister this way.

Anyway, after the games, ‘this’ Twilight became Pinkie's friend, too.

Until now, Limestone didn't feel any more warnings. So that meant, hopefully, that her sister was still alive and well.

Maud saw how her sister spaced out and put a hand on her shoulder. It took her relative out of her deep thinking.

"W-What?!" Limestone asked, agitated.

Then she saw Maud's comforting smile. For every non-Pie, the young woman's face would look emotionless, like a rock and calmed down. In their family, they saw Maud's true expressions and feelings, as if from any other human. They didn't know why people always claimed that she showed no emotions or that they were concerned that she had a disability. Some people were just strange, in Limestone's opinion. Maud was completely normal to her family and her poems were heart-wrenching! Pinkie swore that Maud was as good at pranking as she was. That should be interpreted as a compliment.

"Oh. It's just you, sis," Limestone whispered in a much calmer tone.

"Don't worry. I know how you feel, but we will find Pinkie. Or did you feel anything recently?" Maud asked, curious and worried.

"No. I hope she’s alright. Were mom and dad saying anything about our next step?" the girl replied.

"Mom asked around in some pubs, but something is very strange here in Ponyville. The people aren't reacting very well and give very similar responses, but in a pretty forced way. I fear that some other mages are responsible for what is happening here, but I don't think that this is Equestrian magic, like Pinkie told us about," Maud answered thoughtfully and looked warily around the market they were in at the moment.

The hot headed girl's mouth would have dropped, if possible, "Wait a stone-picking second... you believe Pinks?"

"Of course. She is our little sister and Pinkie would never lie to her family. She always tells us everything and trusts us. You know that," Maud said in mild amusement. "Still, it helps that she told me everything in private and I asked her if she thought that someone else from our family believed her words. She explained that you would ask her questions, too and showed you how she ponied up. I asked her to do the same. Did you know that she is ticklish behind her pony ears?" Maud explained calmly. She made sure that nobody overheard them.

"Haha! Yes, I know. It was fu-don't distract me here! So, Pinkie showed you her little transformation... and you can say the phrase 'pony-up' without cringing? Just like that?" Limestone inquired, confused.

"It could be worse, Lime. Besides, since my Stone Magic awoke, I have a better basic understanding of how magic actually works. If you can use it in an active way, then the former fantasy concept known as magic, is a much more approachable subject. Worrying about some terminologies Pinkie and her friends came up with isn't exactly high on my priority list," Maud lectured with a smile.

"I've noticed that you talk with Boulder a lot more since you discovered your new magic. Don't tell me-"

"That I can talk now with Boulder more fluently since I have my Stone Magic? Yes, it grants me the ability to hear the 'inner voice' of all types of rocks when I desire, you might say. I only could understand Boulder sometimes and he told me I misunderstood him many times when he talked to me. I think I had always a very faint talent for talking with rocks, especially Boulder. I just couldn't understand him consistently as long as my magic was asleep, still. Now I can understand his language fluently. Well, it's not really a 'language' in the sense of the word. More a magically higher connection to rocks than I was born with." Maud interrupted her sister.

"You seriously wanna tell me, that you are some kind of 'rock whisperer'?" Limestone stated dryly.

"Yes," the older sister simply stated. The other groaned in frustration.

Maud took Boulder out of her pocket and stared at him for a at least 10 seconds before she locked eyes with Limestone again, nervous, "Boulder said that the earth is in turmoil, because dark sorcerers in the west used some kind of demonic magic to poison the ground with their unholy touch. That's not good, Boulder isn't easily moved emotionally."

"West?! Isn't Camp Everfree in that direction?!" Limestone enquired, frantically whispering..

She blinked, "Yes, but Boulder said that the rocks in Ponyville said that the rocks in the Everfree Forest said that the rocks in Camp Everfree said that the sorcerers took over after they left. They needed time to communicate with each other because of the corruption. They have a... rocky connection. That's why Boulder knows about it just now," Maud answered with a sheepish smile.

"Maud and her rock puns will surely one day be the death of me," Limestone thought, annoyed.

"Maudalina, Limestone. I found a trustworthy hint which came to my attention. One local came to Ponyville not long ago, after he searched for his belongings in the burned ruins of Canterlot City. Said that people were seen on the border of the Everfree Forest. Stories declare that they would hide themselves in Ghastly Gorge. We should seek these humans out. Maybe our dearest Pinkamena is there," Igneous Rock Pie informed his daughters.

"Yes, father," both siblings answered synchronously.

They met up with Cloudy Quartz and Marble. Igneous told them about their next destination. Then their mother asked him, "Art thou sure, dearest husband of mine? Ghastly Gorge hast always been a place of rumors and peril. We shalt be careful and hope that the Stone of Wisdom dost guide our upcoming journey," she said.

Maud didn't react at all. She just nodded shyly, but Limestone had to stop herself from groaning. Their parents' Amish and traditional behaviour, like the Old Speech, bored the girl sometimes. They spoke like this a LOT and loved to use ‘thous’ and ‘thees’. They called it: ‘The right and respectful way to speak’.

The family ventured into Ghastly Gorge, at the border of the Everfree Forest. They had just encountered two Timberwolves, which found their end through Maud. She ordered the earth beneath them to create a stony pit to cage the creatures. Thorns on the walls came into existence and closed like a gate above them, they were trapped until the moment their magic wouldn't be able to keep them together anymore. She called this ability Tomb of Stone. Indeed, Maud was unforgiving if someone or something tried to harm or, heaven forbid, kill her most loved ones.

It took a lot of magic out of the eldest of the sisters. She was exhausted and they needed to rest for a short time. After that, they discovered the described cave where the humans should be hiding.

"I hope Pinks is in there," Limestone muttered to herself.

"I-I hope so, too," Marble voiced her opinion quietly when she heard her sister. A rare event.

"Let us venture forward and lay eyes upon the truth," Igneous Rock ordered purposefully. He was filled with concern for his second youngest daughter.

The tunnel they were in now was not dark, but illuminated with many different kinds of crystals. Maud knew them all.

"Ruby, emerald, sapphire, aquamarine, opal... the cave walls are truly remarkable, too. Granite, layers of dolomite, a carbonate rock composed of the mineral dolomite, sometimes with calcite as a mix, too. And there we have-" Before she could unleash her thesaurus in this matter, Limestone stopped her.

"We get it! You are the queen of rocks," she interrupted rudely.

The young woman didn't want to hear her big sister’s rambling on about every little detail the cave had to offer in the case of its composition and mineral deposits.

Maud had the decency to blush a little bit. "I'm sorry. my emotions got the better of me, again," she said, embarrassed.

This sentence would normally have sounded, for other people, like an attempt to joke, maybe.

They reached a cave what looked like it was indeed used to live in. They saw chairs of wood, tables, scrolls and books on shelves, among other things. It looked improvised and newly made, so it proved that someone lived here. There was just one thing: the destruction. The shelves were covered with deep, long claw marks and the furniture was painted with dried blood. Marble was shielded by her mother from the sight.

"Pinkamena!" Igneous Rock screamed, now in great fear for his daughter.

It echoed through the entire cave. Limestone wasn't sure if her sister was really here, but then it happened and confirmed her fears that this place wasn't safe. Her Limestone Sense went off.

"Dad! We have to go, now! My special sense is warning me!" she warned her family in panic.

"I see. Come, Pies! We have to leave this unholy place!" the patriarch agreed.

If he learned anything about his daughters, then it was that their own special sense was never wrong. And the one of his second eldest warned from deadly danger, enough motivation to leave.

The family retreated and ran as fast as they could out of the cave. After they reached a hill which would lead them back into the Everfree they heard it; the howl. Bloodthirst was in the voice. They turned around to face the foe and it was… terrifying.

It was big, at least 3 1/2 meters tall, but thinly built, mostly. The creature was biped and looked like a very mutated human. No clothes or private parts that could define a gender. It had a massive mouth with two rows of jagged teeth, top and bottom. It had no eyes at all, only black pits where they should be, like the rest of its body. No nose, from how it looked like, either. Only a huge maw.

The legs were built like the legs of a human, but instead of toes, it had white, arrow-shaped claws on its feet. The arms were in their own league. they were built very massive in the shoulder region. Otherwise they gave a very lanky impression and reached easily to the ground when it stood upright, even more so with the long, maybe 20 centimeters, sharp, blood red, dagger-like claws on the huge hands.

It was a Shadow Maniac.

The chest was surrounded with three white chains, made of titanium. Now it waited for an opportunity to strike. Maud was faster.

Ghastly Gorge looked even darker than earlier before magic happened. The family had searched a few times here for rare minerals or rocks they could sell, ignoring rural rumors. The gorge never looked this foreboding before. The entire place was equipped with edgy cliffs, towering ledges, unknown tunnels and caves and a lot of black stone. Maud had mentioned before that it was obsidian.

She levitated one large boulder and tossed it with her magic in the direction of the beast.

It dodged with ease and howled anew, this time furiously. Cloudy Quartz took Marble by the hand and backed up, slowly. Igneous Rock positioned himself slightly behind Maud, Limestone at his side. The eldest Pie Sister took the very front as the only mage. It angered the father. He couldn't do anything to protect his kin, so he could only pray that his daughter would defeat this monster.

It attacked, with great speed. Maud was just fast enough to erect a wall of obsidian in time before its long claws slashed at her. The obsidian was cut deeply, to the girl's surprise. This beast had a LOT of power.

It jumped over the wall, too fast for Maud to react, and made itself ready to cut her into pieces.

"NO!" Limestone screamed the loudest of the family and shot an opal-grey orb of magic into the beast, pushing it away from her sister for a few meters.

It looked, however that was possible without eyes, at its new opponent in irritation.

The newly made mage heard a dominant, genderless voice in her head. "Warden Magic."

"Now I'M in charge here!" Limestone cheered in her mind.

"Thanks, Lime." Maud said in gratitude.

"No problem. Let's take this thing down," the second oldest replied smugly.

The Shadow Maniac growled quietly and took a few steps forward again.

"Stack back, thou monstrosity!" their father shouted in anger at the beast.

Maud created a few small walls made of stone. They stood some distance from each other, to make it harder for their foe.

Before they could plan their next step, a new female voice made itself known.

"Huzzah!" a woman shouted. Limestone's eye twitched.

"Don't tell me it's..." She had a good idea who that was.

Everyone, including the Shadow Maniac, looked up to witness a gallant looking figure in midnight blue armor with angelic wings. She performed a power dive and used her two void-black scimitars to cut the being cleanly into three with precision at neck and stomach. Its parts fell to the ground and dissolved into shadows.

The knight took her helmet off and revealed her identity. "I came just in time, it seems," Luna stated proudly.

Limestone couldn't believe it. Her former vice-principal was now a magic wielding knight. Life was just not fair.

"Art thou not... Vice-Principal Luna? from the institution formerly known as Canterlot High School before the city was destroyed? Where our Pinkamena went?" Igneous asked the lunar knight. She nodded, smiling.

"Are you okay?!" Cadence came running to the family and looked worriedly at the Pies, especially the three younger ones. Her maternal instincts had kicked in.

"Who art thou?" Cloudy Quartz asked the unknown woman.

"Oh, where are my manners? My name is Mi Amore Cadenza, or Cadance for short, I am the former Dean of Crystal Prep Academy. But please, call me Cadence," she introduced herself humbly.

"How dost thou know the vice-principal?" Igneous Rock questioned this time.

"She is my niece and please just call me Luna, or Mrs. Luna, if you so desire to be respectful. My sister and I don't wear the title of principal and vice-principal any longer. The school was surely destroyed, like the rest of the city," Luna answered somberly.

"Oh! We completely forgot Auntie Celestia!" Cadance exclaimed, blushing.

"Don't worry. One or two of her favourite cakes and everything is forgiven." Luna joked, amused by imagining her sister happily eating cakes without a care in the world.

"I think you need more cakes," a very familiar voice commented in agitation from behind.

Cadance’s and Luna's eyes and mouths opened widely. It surely cut the tension. Limestone couldn't keep quiet about the duo's situation and laughed loudly. Her father gave a disapproving look for the girl's lack of tact in such a situation.

"O-Oh, Celestia! I didn't hear you coming. Did you mention something before our niece and I decided to... go in?" Luna inquired innocently.

"We will talk about your thirst for danger later, dearest sister," the older sibling said in 'the tone'.

The midnight blue woman knew that tone of her voice. It was her ‘I'm-not-angry-but-very-disappointed-with-you’ tone and it drove her crazy sometimes.

She would prefer rage, screams or something else, but this very controlled state of mind, paired with disappointment of the highest level, was torture for the soul. Worse, her sister knew it. That was the reason why Celestia rarely showed emotions like true anger to anyone; she could cut much deeper in other ways.

"For now, we should leave this place and return to Sweet Apple Acres," the former principal added.

Limestone gasped and felt it, still. Why wasn't the feeling of mortal danger caused by her Limestone Sense gone yet?!

"Is something wrong?" Cadance asked the girl. The woman saw the young Pie's worried and scared expression first.

"I can explain later! We have to-"

"You think you can leave my domain just like that? After killing one of my Shadow Maniacs? Petty mortals. You shall pay for your insolence!" an angry, but somehow seductive, silky, distorted and echoing voice of a woman said. Its source thundered through the gorge, but no one was in sight.

"Who are you?! Show yourself!" Luna challenged.

"You are not worthy to know my name yet, worm. You have to earn that right. I can feel great power emitting from some of your souls. They shall be mine!" the voice said arrogantly.

"How could we deserve to get to know you? And what are you?" Celestia asked carefully. She made herself ready in case of a trap.

"Since your world's magic finally awoke completely from its slumber, the barrier which kept my kind out of this plane could be weakened... to a certain point. Before that happened, the magic in its inactive state couldn't be touched by us. It was like trying to catch air with bare hands. Lucky for you, only very few of us managed to slip through on our own until now and I had to endure boredom for centuries already in my world. The strongest of my kind are not able to enter this plane, so I have to pass time otherwise. Trials of combat shall decide your fate. You shall fight to the death for my amusement and die so I can collect your souls. I think your kind heard of us, you call us, demons," the voice explained in glee and laughed darkly.

The humans’ eyes widened in shock and fear.

A certain pink woman was the first who recovered, "T-that sounds like the magic of Terra works like some kind of barrier which separates our world and yours. I first didn't understand what you meant with ‘are not able to enter', but now I have a theory why. The magic works like some kind of impenetrable wall your kind can't pass through, no matter what you try. You could only weaken it a little and create small holes, like with a screen and only the smallest and weakest of you were able to pass on your own, because the magic has to keep out the greatest dangers and could no longer focus on weaker beings," Cadance voiced her opinion thoughtfully.

The demoness growled lowly and her group looked at the former dean with wide eyes, especially her aunts.

"W-what? I pay attention to information I'm told and do thinking on my own. The whole magic business is a strange concept for me still, but this made the most sense for me." she defended herself with red cheeks.

"So this woman, whatever she is, is weak in comparison?" Limestone asked, confused.

"Weak?! How dare you! I may not be one of the six great Damnation Seekers, but I can still hold my own against humans like you, I can assure you that. But as I already stated, you will fight for my entertainment," the voice promised.

"Dost thou think thine words alone will stop us, witch?" Igneous Rock demanded to know.

"Of course not," the female voice replied smugly.

20 big, black, glowing magic circles filled with runes, which made the humans feel ill from just looking at them, appeared around the group. Shadows erupted out of them and formed bodies. Soon, 20 more Shadow Maniacs surrounded them, waiting.

"I knew simply walking away would be much too easy," Maud said, emotionless as always, for Celestia, Cadence and Luna, anyway.

"I will sent the three souls I desire to three different locations, where you will face each one of my strongest officers in one on one matches. One trial per person. In one of three specially created chambers, my loyal servants will await you. I desire the souls of the following: You, cocky knight of the moon. The wielder of the magic of the sun and another one, who still didn't show her potential. I talk about you, the skirt wearing woman with pink hair. You three will entertain me," she declared.

"Me?!" Cadance shouted in shock and fear for her life in equal amounts.

"Of course, my dear. You can see me as a... collector. I collect rare, powerful and unique souls and I sense a very unique form of magic in you," the demoness explained, proud of her collection.

Some collected stamps, others coins and she decided herself for souls, everyone needed a hobby, right?

"How do we know that you won't hurt the others in our absence or just kill us anyway even when we should win? And what with the fury about your slain creature?" Luna asked demandingly, not trusting the voice.

"Oh please. You saw how many others appeared around you, right? These cute little things are something like my personal foot soldiers and I have enough of them. I just wanted to scare you, because you were the first interesting beings I came across in a very long time. I simply desired to pull your legs." the lunar knight’s eye twitched. "Besides, I'm not so bloodthirsty and ready to torture and kill out of boredom or for pleasure like many of my… fellow colleagues. The whole doom and gloom thing just isn't so enjoyable for me. But simply put: You can't. I give you my word as an honorable demon that I will let you leave this place without a question should you succeed. But for that to happen all three of you have to win their little battles. Now, do you agree?" the demoness asked, surely grinning wickedly in the others’ minds.

The second oldest Pie Sister snorted, "As if we would fall for your lies! Demons are manipulative and evil, everyone knows that," Limestone said without thinking.

Maud facepalmed at her sister's bluntness. They were doomed.

Instead of being insulted and angry, like they all thought she would be, the voice laughed loud, amused for nearly a minute. After she recovered she replied between chuckles, "You seriously must read too much, girl. Yes, many demons are pretty nasty and would gladly trick you by any means possible to get you, but that's not the case for all of us. I have my honor and always keep my word. Of course I really want these three souls for my collection, but as long as I am entertained... it could be worse.” Malice returned into her words, “And don't think you could betray me, I control my soldiers and I will order them to solely focus on you and your family if you try to betray me or plan a foolish escape," the demoness warned, threateningly.

The three women in question nodded in silence, disgust in their eyes.

"Thou darest to useth mine family as hostages, foul she-demon?!" the patriarch of the Pie Family exclaimed furiously.

"What can I say? I'm a demon. Not a saint," their ‘host’ answered, waving off the query in a bored manner.

"Not that I'm ungrateful or something, but these... ‘Damnation Seekers’ sound like they would gladly tear our world to pieces and turn all life to ash from their title alone. Additionally, it sounds like they are kind of your superiors. Wouldn't they be mad if you just let us go?" Cadance enquired carefully.

"Of course they would, sweetie. But lucky for me, my own Damnation Seeker is a very level headed demoness, in most cases. Besides, it's not like they could hear us here. The barrier keeps them out of the plane of Terra, remember? So I'm safe and can do what I want. Now... let the trials of combat begin!" she announced gleefully.

Three portals appeared in front of the group, side by side. They all looked like normal-sized rectangular doors. All were made out of different kinds of magic.

The right door looked to be made out of purple lightning on the inside. The doorframe was midnight blue wood with a sleeping human shape on each side of the frame, engraved on the wood. The left human, a woman, looked like she slept peacefully whereas the right one, a man, looked like he was in the throes of a terrible nightmare, made plain by the pained expression on the face.

The door in the center was filled inside with blazing blue fire. The door frame was made out of a, for the humans, unknown, shining, silvery blue metal. It was Kobarid, an alloy from the plane of the demons, Nephariom, or how the mortal races called it: Tartarus. The silver coloration was mostly concentrated on the inner side of the frame, blue on the outer side.

The last portal on the left was filled with thick purple fog, nothing more. The frame was made out of black crystals, giving the portal a menacing look. A strange looking skull with curved horns on the head adorned the frame above the portal in the middle. Its eyes glowed a sickly green color. Perhaps it represented a demon, maybe... something else.

"The left one is obviously the 'lucky jackpot'," Cadence thought, in dark humor.

But she felt like this portal would contain her trial. It was just an inexplicable feeling. She didn't know why she felt so drawn to it.

"Decide. Only one of you three can enter each of these portals. After someone enters, the portal in question will seal itself until the trial is over. You can talk with each other and choose who takes which one, no stress. Just a normal fight for your life and soul is ahead of you. Pretend it is something completely normal, if you must," the fiend commented with a dark laugh.

"I choose the door to the right. It makes probably the most sense for my abilities, because I think that we can guess the abilities of our opponent based on the portal." Luna reasoned.

"OK Lulu. Please be careful. I guess I take the lef-"

"Please, let me take that portal, Celestia. I still need to awaken my magic and I won't be able to hold my own for long against a demon who uses fire based magic." Cadance interrupted her aunt nervously.

She didn't mention the feeling that urged her to choose this portal. The tall woman didn't want to risk that the demon would decide in that case to place her somewhere else on purpose. Just so that she would have at least one soul for her ‘collection’.

"I concur, sister. Our niece has a strong enough disadvantage at the moment and I think her chance of survival will increase against a different foe." Luna supported.

The solar knight sighed fatefully, “OK. In that case, I choose the portal with the blue flames.” Celestia said, with an unconvincing half-smile. “That... actually looks like it would lead to Tartarus itself. Great," she added to herself. "Please stay safe and return to me," she pleaded with her family.

Luna and Cadance smiled warmly and nodded.

"So it seems that you've all chosen the doorways to your fates. Please don't die too fast, mortals," the demoness taunted.

"Good luck, and kick these demons' butts!" Limestone encouraged loudly. Her parents gave their daughter a scolding look for her slightly foul language.

“Worth it,” she said meekly in reply.

"Do your best. Show them what you are capable of and use the environment to your advantage." Maud told them with a last nugget of wisdom.

"I-I believe in you." Marble ‘cheered’ at her own volume.

"May the Stone of Protection be with ye." the patriarch spoke in respect.

"We put our fate and trust in thy hands!" Cloudy Quartz said in the image of her husband.

After last good wishes and words of encouragement, the trio stepped forward until everyone stood in front of their chosen portal and prepared themselves one last time before it started.

Cadance faced her aunts and thought, in panic, "Great. they both have armor, weapons and powerful magic itself at their disposal and what do I have?! Only a handgun, for goddess's sake! I'm doomed! Please, whatever magic you are in me, wake up!" she screamed frantically in her mind.

After her inner monologue she tried to calm her nerves, steeling herself outwardly, as per her training.

At least Principal Cinch had taught ONE good thing.

Filled with confidence and faith, with a last nod to each other, they entered.

"I-I ha-have a question Miss Demon." Marble, to the surprise of her family and the demoness herself, spoke shyly. Still polite like her parents always taught the girl.

"Yes?" the woman acquiesced curiously.

"W-where did you send them?" Marble asked nervously.

"Nephariom. Or as you humans call it: Hell or Tartarus. Every one of my stronger demons has a unique chamber they live in most of the time, created over many years through hard work and magic. I sent your allies to these locations with the portals, so that they may encounter their challenge. There they will start their trials of combat. And no, Tartarus is not just a burning pit to torture evil souls like most of your kind want to believe. It is much more," the voice explained mysteriously.

"Oh? I always thought you demons would be all just mindless monsters or something like that, who do disgusting things all the time. No offense, I mean," Limestone commented bored.

“Oh, don't misunderstand your situation. My little pets will stay around you until the moment the trials are over to ensure that you won't just run off and call for help. It would just end in a bloody demise. Besides, I still do very 'demonic' things, my dear. I solely drink the pure blood of innocent female virgins up to the age of 12, blood type O Positive. I eat chopped flesh of tortured humans, preferably young sexy men, because I'm a twisted demoness. And I bathe twice every week in the stolen milk of caged and abducted fresh mothers. You know, to soften the skin. Lastly, I have a feast once in the year, composed of decorated and spiced hearts of exactly these pregnant mothers' newborn children. Are you alright?" The demoness wanted to know, speaking in a mock-clueless voice.

Marble fainted, Limestone emptied her stomach behind a rock, still in the generous formed circle of the Shadow Maniacs. Maud, Cloudy Quartz and Igneous Rock looked pale and badly ill to the stomach.

Loud, distorted, nearly hysterical laughter echoed through Ghastly Gorge. After she calmed down, the amused demon of Tartarus said between chuckles, "Oh, by Arthyma! I haven't laughed like that in centuries! Your faces were just priceless and you actually believed me! I still got it!"

The still-conscious humans never felt so much contempt for one person before in their lives. Ever.

Author's Note

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

So here it is, the Pie chapter. So full of Maud, so full of love. Seriously, where is the Maud-Emote on this side? It needs to happen!

But it's really interesting. I learned a lot about writing and such, now I'm improving my chapters and edit through them. I notice errors I never found before. :pinkiegasp:

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 14 - Trials of Combat

Chamber of Terror: Trial of Luna

She arrived in a very surreal looking field made out of purple grass, in the form of a soccer field. But instead of chalk, the field was framed with many towering massive white crystal stalagmites of different sizes. Beyond the field were levitating islands. The woman could see that they looked like pieces of a former forest, with trees she never saw or heard of before. Liquid midnight blue magic streamed down in random places from every one of the small islands, like waterfalls. The sky around her looked like made out of purple and white lightning.

Luna couldn't see where the liquid went because of the stalagmites, nor where the source of this magic even was. .

She went to the center of the field where a black circle appeared and her opponent came into existence. Luna was sure this fight won’t be easy, but she couldn't lose. Death was, for obvious reasons, not an option!

"It seems the Lady has found another soul to collect. We should kill her. Skin her. Eaaaat her!" two different voices said.

The first voice sounded calm, educated and calculating, but with the, to Luna, typical distortion in the voice for a demon. The second voice sounded absolutely insane with the clear wish to spill blood and an unholy echo. Both were male.

Her opponent looked like an ogre. Big, at least 3 meters tall, a body corded with muscles and yet thick with fat at the same time. The entire figure looked massive. It had a round potbelly, but a strange combination of clearly visible muscles under the fat. The rest of the body looked more normal, Luna guessed. Still broadly built but not so out of proportion like the stomach area. The lunar knight's enemy had two heads, the sources of the voices.

The left head was the one with the collected tone, wearing a little pearlescent violet cloak around the head, face still visible, two small black horns which poked out of the hood and yellow eyes. The visible head had human-like ears, just much bigger to fit the massive body. Furthermore, a thick nose and two long fangs.

The right head wore no cloak but a spiked helmet, very spiked, made of iron, one horn poking out of the front of the head like a mutated, twisted Unicorn horn. It was black and decorated with several silver rings. Of course they were spiked, too. The head with the insane voice was completely covered by it, save the visor, which had only holes for the eyes, malicious blood red orbs focused squarely upon Luna.

The rest of the body was covered in a multi-layered, with the two midnight blue sleeping figures from the portal as decorations upon the chest, vermillion robe, but not the arms. They were covered in many blue glowing symbols in a tongue which made the woman ill. That had to be the demons' language, she guessed. The robe was parted at the center from chest to stomach. There she saw one more difference between the two halves. The left side had orange skin, but the right side a dark purple. It was like the colors fought each other for dominance. Lastly, no boots, so that their giant, fat feet were free to see, much to Luna's displeasure.

In the left hand the being wielded a small hand scythe, which was made out of the blue silver metal like the portal Celestia used, the woman recognized. In the right hand, the insane side, was a bloody black meat cleaver.

"You, human, are chosen to engage us in the Trial of Terror as entertainment for our Lady.” the wiser of the two heads began. His partner cackled insanely. "Don't you dare die too fast, I want to hear your delicious screams!"

"I don't think so, demon! My name is Luna, I was granted the gift of Lunar Magic and I will use my full power to prevail, if I must!"she replied confidently.

"Foolish woman. Your soul will be ours. But out of politeness I shall share our name with you, we are called Mu'tagh. You think you are better than us, one of the Lady's officers?! I will rape your corpse!" Mu'tagh said in all of their bipolarity.

Luna summoned her wings and flew up above the ogre. She stretched her arms in her foe's direction and focused. A beam of white lunar magic shot from both hands onto the watching enemy.

She never told anybody, but she hadn't slept since they reached Sweet Apple Acres and always sneaked out to practice magic and her flying skills. It was like second nature for her somehow to use her new wings. And it wasn't like she didn't need to sleep, but closing her eyes and meditating was enough for resting spirit and body. Luna thought it had something to do with her abilities. Still, the woman wasn't sure.

"Too easy. How arrogant to think it would be enough, whore!" Mu'tagh summoned purple lightning around them as some kind of shield and it stopped the attack, but shattered shortly afterwards.

It slightly surprised the ogre for a few seconds.

Luna smiled proudly. She had trained many hours and saw the two-headed demon's surprised expressions, if only for precious moments. A small victory in her book. After the embarrassing encounter with Commander Raga she swore that she wouldn't be defeated that easily again by her next opponent. Celestia shot with full power at that time upon the fire elemental and it didn't even scratch him, so she knew trying to attack on her own was just as futile. He wouldn't have received any damage from her, either.

"I think I know why the Lady wants your soul, now. You just prolong your suffering!" Mu'tagh announced in understanding and glee.

The ogre summoned a black circle in front of them and shot purple lightning at the knight. She dodged masterfully in the air with movements to the side or a change of altitude.

It enraged them, especially the right head, "DIE!" he shouted in fury, not even waiting for this partner to say something, too.

This time, the demon yanked up both arms into the air and two ogre-head sized spheres of more lightning appeared to the left and right. The spheres were connected over a magical current.

"Now you did it," the left head said this time in annoyance because of the right head's impatience.

The spheres flew fast upon Luna and dodging was now much more difficult, because the spheres followed. One turn to the right, one to the left, vertical flight back to the field, they still followed. It was enough to catch up to her. Luckily, before she got roasted alive by lightning, the woman could shoot two little spheres of her own magic, using them to make her chasers explode. The resulting explosion tossed her to the ground.

She was never this appreciative of her armor before. Only her pride was hurt, because she didn't think about that earlier.

"I have to be much more careful! My carelessness nearly cost me everything, because I wanted to escape the attack solely with my wings," Luna scolded herself angrily.

Her overconfident pursuit of honor nearly killed her.

"It is time to show you why this is the Trial of Terror. Be ready to face your greatest nightmares!" The midnight blue runes on their arms started to glow with an unholy light, same for the two sleeping figures upon the chest.

Suddenly, the environment changed and Luna found herself in a black void, alone.

"Oh, please. You can't show me anything what would scare me here, Mu'tagh! I'm a grown woman, not a child!" she taunted, amused that they thought they could scare her with something like bad dreams.

"So you say. Everybody has inner fears. And as a demon who is skilled in the art of dream walking, we are able to let our victims suffer. I can smell your fear. You're nervous deep inside of your mind, worried about what you might encounter. I will enjoy your torment!" Mu'tagh answered in an echoing whisper.

Luna felt weak... tired. She tried to fight against this strong desire to sleep, but her struggle was useless. The lunar knight was exhausted. Sleeping was the right thing to do, yes.

Before she lost her conscious, the magician could have sworn that someone laughed at her. But who? It didn't matter anymore, she just wanted to rest.

Vice-Principal Luna opened her eyes, her cellphone alarmed her with loud noises that she had to prepare herself. School started soon.

"What?! I can't believe I overslept!" she shouted in panic. That never happened before!

Celly would be mad at her. As the principal of CHS, her big sister always arrived at school one hour before the first lessons started. Normally, Luna would arrive with the students, to ensure that they didn't come too late in the morning. Some students just loved to talk or did something else, never caring for the time.

After she arrived at school, she drank one big cup of black coffee, it worked like a cure, the bell ringed. The vice-principal hurried out of her car and made sure that all of her students made their way to class.

"Vice-Principal Luna!" The meekest of the Rainbooms came running. Tears were running down her eyes.

"Fluttershy? What happened?" Luna asked, confused.

"It's Principal Celestia. Some people from the government came and took her. They are leading her out of the back door, you have to hurry!" Fluttershy answered urgently.

Since when was the girl so forceful? Well, it didn't matter; her sister was much more important right now.

She ran as fast as she could and saw people from the ADF, the Amarerican Defense Force, pushing her sister into a black van. It made her furious.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Luna screamed in fury.

One of the agents turned around to face the angry woman. "Ah, you must be Vice-Principal Luna. Sorry that you have to discover the truth like that, but your sister, Principal Celestia, is guilty of treason and conspiring against our country," the agent explained calmly.

"What?!" she exclaimed in shock.

Luna was now in full panic mode. Had the government found out that the magical incidents since the Fall Formal were real?! Were they blaming Celestia for this? No! Not her big sister!

"I'm honest with you. Your sister will never see the light of the sun again. But there is something more important that has to happen first," he continued with an evil glint in his eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Luna was irritated by this behaviour. And why did the man's voice sounded so strange all of a sudden?

"You just have to die, whore!" The man cackled madly and had suddenly a bloody meat axe was in his right hand.

Luna jumped out of the way before the agent could cleave her in two. Her instincts told her that this was all wrong, like it shouldn't be.

"Be gone!" Luna shouted and a white beam of magic impacted with the man, sending him against the wall of the school.

Before she could realize what just happened, her vision went black. The last thing she remembered were glowing blue runes of a language not her own.

"Luna, run!" Celestia pleaded her little sister, with tears in her eyes.

"Pathetic! You are unworthy opponents, powerless, like the rest of your race in Canterlot," Commander Raga announced, disappointed.

Luna looked at her sister, horrified. No matter what they tried, the fire elemental brushed it off like nothing.

He already killed Granny Smith, who tried to sneak into the barn how they planned it, but she stumbled, Raga saw her and attacked. Big Mac tried to protect his grandmother heroically, dying with her, screaming. Applejack wanted to charge at him out of blind anger, but her friends, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, held her back, what would be difficult without Twilight's magic to help out. The girl's strength would have made it impossible to stop her from running into her own death.

But there was this familiar feeling again... the feeling of wrongness. Raga pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Die!" He took with one hand his giant bastard sword and pierced Celestia through the heart, killing her instantly.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" Luna screamed out in terror and despair.

Her sister just died in front of her eyes and she couldn't protect her. She was too weak. The loss paralyzed her.

"You are going to pay for this! You monster! You killed my aunt!" Cadance shouted with a broken and furious voice.

She shot with her handgun at the fire elemental, the bullets burned to nothing on contact.

"Don't worry. I will unite you with your family." Raga sprinted at the former dean. Shining tried to pull her aside. In vain. Raga swung his sword and cut Cadance cleanly in two.

Luna could only stare, not able to react. Her sister... her niece... now she was truly alone. No more family at her side. Her biggest fear, losing her family to this new world, came to pass. Worse, she couldn't do anything to protect them. Why was she so worthless? Why?!

"Do you feel true terror, child? I love the expression of absolute despair on the face of my victims!" two unfamiliar voices spoke.

Terror? Who were they? Wait... didn't the fight with Raga already happen? It was like a fog left her senses. Of course! Nobody died! The commander left before anything like that happened!

The world around her dissolved.

"What is happening?! Our created nightmares should be perfect! What is this strange power?! She couldn't do that before!" the voices shouted, confused and angry.

More memories returned to Luna, filling her with formerly blocked knowledge of recent events. Then a name came into her mind. A name connected to an demonic ogre, with two heads, two voices. They were responsible for letting her grieve about fakes!

With a volume, that would let her Pony counterpart shed tears of pride, Luna shouted, "MU'TAGH!"

Her entire body was surrounded by midnight blue magic, instead of white. The emitted power destroyed the illusion, bringing her back to the Chamber of Terror.

Luna was ready for round two. And BOY was she mad!

Mu'tagh panted heavily. This strange power from before shattered their created nightmare. Not only that, the magic attacked them directly and pulled them back to reality with painful force. How?!

Luna opened her eyes again and looked with disgust at the ogre. "I understand now. You blocked my memory and all my senses and twisted them with your demon magic. Letting me live through nightmares I feared. For example, that somehow the government would find out about CHS and make my sister responsible for everything, because she was the principal. Then an alternative version to my encounter with Raga. He overpowered all of us with ease and I feared against the end that he would kill us all. Or worse... that he would take the lives of my last remaining family and I wouldn't be able to protect them. But now I understand."

"What are you talking about? Tell us!" Mu'tagh asked nervously.

"I have Lunar Magic. It means that I am connected to the night and moon, but there is something else that is a part of the night, mostly: The world of dreams. I understand now that you used some kind of twisted magic to create nightmares. You helped me to discover my own form of dream magic that will help me in the future to bar nightmares and other ailments from someone's mind. No matter if nightmare or magic or curse. I won't be able to walk in someone's dreams per se, like you did, but I can sense distress from now on and try to help," Luna explained calmly like she already knew she won the Trial of Terror.

It rubbed the ogre the wrong way, fiercely.

"You seem to be very sure of your victory.” The armored head snorted. “ You are bluffing!"

Luna just sighed and shook her head. She concentrated and closed her eyes. The former principal's entire body glowed in the same midnight blue magic that destroyed the ogre's nightmare earlier. She opened her eyes again and they were filled with the same colored energy.

A giant, magical circle, 30 meters or so in diameter, appeared above the ogre. Mu'tagh looked up with both heads just to see how Luna's newest and strongest ability was unleashed upon them.

"Dream Valley!" Luna shouted with finality. A stream of magic shot upon the ogre.

Both heads looked one last time at their oppenent, before the left head muttered silently, "Forgive us, Lady Alandra. We failed to bring you this woman's soul..."

Luna's newest ability ended the demon's life. The Chamber of Terror began to crumble away, because a specially made chamber in Tartarus was connected to its owner. Without Mu'tagh the chamber had no function any longer.

"You lying fiend! You gave your wo-" before Luna could end her complaint, her body was engulfed in a golden light and she disappeared from the realm of demons.

Chamber of Hopelessness: Trial of Celestia

Celestia hoped that Luna and Cadance would be OK, especially her niece. The poor woman was defenseless still. A handgun alone wouldn't save her for long against a demon who was using magic, she feared.

The former principal looked around herself after she went through the portal. Her new environment certainly didn't look like something she expected to see in the realm of demons.

Celestia stood on a small barren black hill and felt how her patience was already tested from seeing her ‘trial’. The entire chamber was built like a giant maze, no ending in sight, it seemed. But not with walls of stone, more walls of towering blue flames.

Why couldn't she be able to summon wings like Luna...

"Let me guess: I have to reach the other end of the maze and it will be guarded by a minotaur," Celestia deadpanned.

She looked around and didn't see any enemies. This ‘officer’ seemed to wait for her somewhere inside of the maze. How utterly annoying.

"Hopefully I don't die on old age before I can finish the trial. This maze looks endless," Celestia thought nervously.

A great number of things happened in the last few days. However, it felt like she was already on a journey for years with the others.

Wonderful. She sounded like an old nostalgic woman.

So many events took place. Lives were lost, friends were made, creatures and new beings were fought and cake was eaten. The last point was most important. Who knew how many chances she would receive in the future to eat sweets and other culinary creations in a world of change?

Celestia walked to the entrance of the maze. She looked up shortly and noticed that the sky was red, a black sun completing the picture. Interesting. She couldn't make out anything else of relevance, for now. Except the construction of fire in front of her, of course.

"YOU SHALL NOT PASS, YET!" a demonic, male, very raspy voice shouted from... beneath her?

Celestia saw how a humanoid being, made entirely out of black and red flames, broke out of the ground, literally. The earth cracked, no, shattered. Fissures distributed around the duo, mostly obviously where the newcomer arrived with the grace of a concrete block.

The being in front of her fit the description of a demon officer perfectly. At least 20 feet tall, a broadly built giant of promised death and destruction. Armored around the lower body in the same silver blue metal as the portal Celestia walked through. He wore sabatons and a cuisse, silver as main color and the blue colored part of the ore was used as decoration. It ran through all of the armor parts like superficial veins. They were thin or thick in random patterns and had no clear direction in their chosen route, looking like clear sapphire. Otherwise the being in front of the woman didn't wear any armor. Not that it would even be necessary with a big body made of living. Flames.

The knight of the sun wondered if he was somehow in alliance with the fire elementals which burned Canterlot City to the ground. His eyes were big, round, golden burning holes of fire. Their gleam was a little hypnotizing, Celestia had to admit. Her adversary had a fully functioning mouth. The first elemental with one, from what she knew, through the descriptions of the others who had to escape the invasion. She couldn't determine if Raga had one. He wore a closed helmet.

"Couldn't we solve this without the death of someone else?" Celestia asked rhetorically.

She knew that a fight would be unavoidable, but trying didn't hurt at all. Besides, she needed more information before she engaged the giant.

"The Lady demands your soul. What do you think? Regardless of your pathetic attempt to distract me, I will explain a few rules for you.” He cleared his throat, how polite, “Welcome, little mortal, to the Chamber of Hopelessness. My name is Infermo, loyal officer of the Lady and lord of this place. As you surely guessed by now, your trial has to do with the maze behind me," the demonic elemental started in a lecturing tone.

"Seriously? I thought I would have to fight you, nothing more. Is that some kind of game?" Celestia asked, confused but interested what was planned for her.

"What did you expect? That you have to fight on a corpse-filled field, hellfire attacks you and I hold a speech about how I would drink your blood? Something to that effect?" Infermo demanded to know, insulted. "What does this woman think I'm doing with her? I'm not Mu'tagh's right head!"

"Err... maybe?" Celestia replied with a smug grin.

Infermo groaned. He couldn't believe this human. She was about to meet her maker and joked around in this situation? What was she, a troll? It didn't matter now. He had to explain the rules.

"Rule 1: You can't escape this maze underground or through flying. A special spell was cast upon this place. If you break the rule, you will simply be teleported back to the entrance and have to try again from the very beginning. I don't think you want that."

"You are right. I don't." Celestia commented with a smile.

If Infermo had eyes, he was sure they would twitch.

"Rule number 2. In order to master the maze, you have to reach the center and fight me for the right to escape and regain your freedom. It is a battle to the death. Only one of us may walk away alive, because to re-open the portal back to your world, a sacrifice has to be paid to this realm. In form of a life." He waited. The human had no smart comment to that rule. Good.

"Rule 3: To reach the center of the maze, you have to solve riddles. Solve four riddles in a row. Only then you will be able to fight me. This maze is magically created and its paths will change patterns, depending on the number of solved riddles and wrong answers. Just announce your answer loud and clear. Understood?"

"Yes. Thank you, Infermo. By the way, my name is Celestia. It is good that I don't have to run around in this maze forever to find something and end up in countless dead ends," she replied calmly.

"Of course you won't have to do that. Even demons have standards, you know. Besides, I have better things to do than to wait for my opponents and risking death by boredom. Don't think too hard about the solutions, as a little advice before you start. Oh, and be careful. Answer too many wrong and the magic of this maze could trap you for eternity. Your soul, obviously, would be claimed for the Lady in such a case, still. That is one reason why this is the Trial of Hopelessness," the fire elemental replied in a matter of fact way.

Without another word, he opened a portal for him to wait in the center of the maze. After he went through, Celestia could relax and she sighed deeply. Many thoughts shot through her mind. "That was way too close. I had to give everything I had to not show him that I was nervous. I can't allow myself to appear weak in front of potential enemies, the others are counting on me to return to them."

She started to walk through the maze. When she reached the first bifurcation in the maze, he went the following route over the next minutes: 'Up', 'left', 'right', 'up', 'left', 'right' and came to an end made of, black flames, between the otherwise in blue fire covered metallic walls.

Written in red blazing letters, Celestia found her first riddle:

You will always find me in the past. I can be created in the present, But the future can never taint me. What am I?

Celestia loved riddles like that. It remembered her of an old story she once read as a teenager. It was, among other things, about a sphinx, which demanded such answers from the protagonist of the book before he could go further in his quest.

She thought about the answer, "Hmm... always in the past... can be created... never be tainted..."

Of course! Celestia shouted with conviction, "History!"

After a few seconds the wall dissolved into nothing. The path was free.

Anew, the knight of the sun thought of a pattern she would take the moment she discovered the next fork.

This time it was: 'Up', 'right', 'up', 'right', 'left', 'up'. Another black wall, another riddle:

I go in hard. I come out soft. You blow me hard. What am I?

Celestia knew it. Demons were perverts. Or she was. The magician blushed slightly at the blunt choice of words this riddle had. After she calmed down, the former principal thought about the answer.

"Blowing, the mouth is meant... first hard... later soft..." Celestia's cheeks exploded in red. She cursed her dirty mind.

Then the answer came to her: "Gum!" She screamed in annoyance.

Good thing that Luna once told her that she bought herself some extra hard gum and it needed a long time before it was softened by the chewing. Celestia's little sister assured her that she was able to produce the biggest bubbles and challenged her sibling to a duel. Both blew it; it was a tie.

After she was free to go, the woman had to decide between two ways in front of her. One led up, the other down. Strange. She didn't see earlier that the maze wasn't flat. Celestia blamed magic for this.

She chose this time: 'Down', 'right', 'left', 'down', 'right', 'left'. Riddle three:

What has a Heart but no other organs?

"Okay, that is difficult... solely a heart, but no other organs..."

There were no animals she knew that only had a heart, but nothing else. Maybe a plant? Celestia wasn't sure. If something was meant that existed only in a world of magic, like for example the alternative world, then it was all over.

Wait, there was something that had a heart as a symbol, but no organs. Could it even be? Did the demons know about such games? Well, they were certainly intelligent. She had to try. Nothing else came to mind. It would only be her first error.

"A deck of cards!" Was the desperate answer.

The knight waited. The wall disappeared. She was right!

"Yes!" Celestia cheered mentally and enjoyed her small victory.

It was good that she could keep her emotions so much in check. Just in case Infermo somehow spied on her... OK, that sounded wrong.

Her last choice to find the last riddle, hopefully. She did her next pattern like the following, because after every time she reached a new fork, she was teleported somewhere else in the maze and had to pick a new path.

Lastly, Celestia decided to take: 'Right', 'down', 'up', 'right', 'down', 'up'.

The last riddle. She hoped she could find the right answer:

Feed me and I live, yet give me a drink and I die.

"What?... feed, live... drink, die. Come on! What does that mean?!"

The woman couldn't take the suspense and pressure and had to breathe deeply. In and out, like she once showed Cadence. Her niece then told her that she taught someone her own technique, her ‘Ladybug’. Whoever that was, she never asked.

The flash of inspiration came from observing the moving blue flames around her. It was poetic for the woman that the last riddle could be answered with a single word that described her future enemy very well.

"Fire!"

A circle of magic composed out of black and red flames appeared under Celestia after a few seconds. A flash of light brought her to the desired destination; the maze's sanctuary.

The ‘center’ of the maze was a levitating giant platform. It was composed out of a simply thin looking layer of golden light, a 100m² area. Through the light the maze beneath them was visible. They had to be 300m above the ground! It was good, in Celestia's opinion, that Cadance didn't choose this portal.

For one, the former dean wasn't as good with riddles as her or Luna.

Secondly, Cadance hated heights since an accident she had as a child. She fell from a tree and broke an arm in process.

Celestia wondered how it was possible that the giant didn't fall through with his massive body.

Oh, yeah. Magic.

"I'm impressed that you came this far, mortal. Nobody has been able to solve four riddles in a row and earned the honor to fight here in centuries! Nor in such a short amount of time," Infermo explained a little astonished. "Tell me, how did you like your riddles? An ancient mind reading spell was cast upon the maze. Its dogged contenders are always surprised how the answers to their riddles were items related to their own culture." The spell was his personal pride, even though his mistress created it.

Her cheeks took a rosy coloration. Of course those demons didn't concern themselves with things like bubble gum or card games. It made all sense now! She wanted to facepalm so badly.

"And now... try thinking your way out of this!" he exclaimed suddenly.

The fire elemental blew a huge breath of black fire upon Celestia. Like Luna, even though she slept at night, she managed in her small amount of training since she discovered her magic to create her own protection. The knight could protect herself with a shield which surrounded her entire body. It was made out of the light of the sun. And she was very lucky that she learned to do that. The attack had a cone of 50 meters, easily.

"OK, correction. Cadance wouldn't have survived this fight even in the slightest. Good thing I agreed to come here," Celestia thought, very disturbed from what would have happened to her relative.

"Oho! You survived. I can see why the Lady desires your soul. Your magic is quite unique, indeed." Infermo nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"Why, thank you. I'm curious though. Two of the riddles I faced were very... special. I didn't know you demons knew about gum or card games. So why did the spell took such unique things as a riddle’s answer?," Celestia enquired politely.

"I don't know about this 'gum' or 'card games' of yours, human. But the Lady is a scholar and collector by heart. She searched decades to find a very difficult and advanced form of magic involving knowledge. In the moment the challenger of this chamber appears in my realm, the spell adapts the riddles to suit the being in question, no matter how trivial. For example in the moment you stepped into this place, the spell used your knowledge to create riddles related to it and the existence of things, only known by you. On another note, the magic that infuses the maze takes common concepts of creation, like time, history, order, chaos, light, darkness, to name a few, no matter from which domain the soul in question hails from, to challenge the mind, too. The point is, it wouldn't make any sense to give you riddles related to the history of other worlds, because it is very, very unlikely that a mortal human would know the answers. So you see? If thinking isn't your strongest trait... well, you know the price of failure." Infermo grinned darkly.

"I see. But I think it is time to continue. There are people who await my return. Flare!" the magician of the sun shouted, defying her enemy.

Celestia held her sword high into the sky and 40 fist-sized spheres of her magic hovered around the woman. She swung her sword in an attack-motion. Designating the target for them. They immediately started to surround Infermo, who had, meanwhile, to fight an incoming laughing fit.

"Y-You are kidding, r-right? What do you think that will achieve? I am an elemental of fire and you use a little cute ability based on it, it seems. You won't be able to deal any damage," Infermo taunted faithfully.

"Oh, thank you for a lesson I already know. But what makes you think that my Solar Magic is solely based on fire?" Celestia asked smugly, much to the elemental's confusion.

She let the forty spheres explode with a single thought and after that she erected a new barrier around her body. The resulting explosions were accompanied by screams of pain. After the light faded away, the fire elemental looked heavily injured, even without blood. His right arm was crippled and his fire couldn't heal the arm's damage where the golden light sat now, same with other ‘light infected’ wounds. But the golden blazing magic of the woman inflicted even more damage. Parts of his armor were slightly melted from the explosion of her magic, which shocked the demon. Fire, magical or not, shouldn't be able to do that or damaging his body at all.

"What have you done!?" Infermo screamed, livid.

"My abilities are not only composed merely of fire, but light, too. I can decide in which percentage one of my abilities applies fire or light-based magic. I chose, surprise, 100% light against you. I don't know much about magic in general, but I have enough basic knowledge about Solar Magic. The burning flames of the sun are... very special. It has no concern for the usual rules like 'fire can't harm beings of fire' or something like that. The light magic aspect of Solar Magic can damage beings of fire when my attacks are strong enough. From the look of it, it seemingly it was enough to give you a fair share of bruises." Celestia answered proudly.

She used the same tactic against Commander Raga. It was embarrassing how he didn’t even receive a scratch. The woman attacked with a complete light-based beam of light and it didn't even make him cough in their confrontation. She was very worried that he would be resistant against her magic, too, much like the leader of the Infernal Guard.

"I'm lucky this demon seems to be much weaker than he was. I couldn't train much, but it seemed to be enough to cause damage on Infermo," she thought, now more at ease.

"I won't lose!" Infermo announced, like a typical villain, Celestia thought.

He concentrated his next attack, summoned a huge spear out of his black flames and charged at her.

It was time for her to use her strongest ability. Hopefully she could crawl out of here and that it worked. The alternative wasn't good. It would use the biggest part of her already taxed magic.

Celestia engulfed her body in the light of the sun. The air around, above and behind her started to get thinner within a radius of 60 meters in all directions. Because she emitted heat with her body, the air expanded. A continuous transition from thick, cold air layers to thinner, hot ones was a desired consequence. Because of this, the rays of light around them were broken the entire way through the air.

A magically created mirage was her plan.

"Illusion of the Sun!" Celestia shouted in her mind.

The spear penetrated her afterwards.

"I said I would-what?!" Infermo shouted in fury.

His enemy had disappeared instead of dying. He looked around himself and saw her standing much further away in front of him.

"You think your little illusions will grant you victory over me?!" The elemental charged again and rammed his spear into his opponent, who reappeared again in the distance.

Celestia breathed out with problems, canceled her concentration and the spell, but proclaimed with a smile, "What are you talking about? It worked!"

Now he was more confused than angry. Why did the voice came from behind him? She was clearly in fr-! The platform suddenly had no space for him to move and the demon fell to his death, 300 meters downwards.

What happened?! She was in front of him and the platform had more than enough place left, how?! Then Infermo remembered, the strange looking air around the magician. A Fata Morgana! This witch tricked him!

"NO! My Lady! I fail-"

With a loud bang, Infermo met the unforgiving hardened and magically enchanted walls of fire face first. The power, resulting out of his long fall, combined with his body stature, ripped him to pieces. Only remains of the destroyed armor were left from the once proud officer. In the moment of his death the mighty flames of Infermo ceased to exist.

Celestia sat cross-legged on the ground, exhausted from the last ability. Her sword and shield laid beside her. As long as she could concentrate and nothing attacked her directly, the solar knight could channel a spell which gave her the chance to create, in a 60 meter radius, as many illusions as she desired. Well, if she had enough mana at her disposal left, of course. Creating mirages at chosen positions with magic was difficult in its own right and had its costs.

"I hope Luna and Cadance had as much fun as I had." Celestia thought, amused from the fact that she won the fight in the end, because brain beat muscle.

She couldn't have defeated Infermo solely with her magic in form of pure power alone. She had not had enough training for such a feat. Well, in her mind, it was well done. The result was more important for the woman than the way how she did it.

Of course, if Luna asked, she fought and survived. End of story. The alternative was that her little sister would never stop giving her speeches of how Celestia won, because she ‘cheated’. Honor and a fair fight were something very important in the lunar knight's opinion.

The older sister remembered how Luna could be furious for hours when someone ‘camped’ somewhere in the games she played, instead of facing her head-on.

The chamber started to disappear, but before Celestia could voice her shock, a golden light surrounded the surprised woman. And in a flash, she was gone.

Chamber of Domination: Trial of Cadance

"The other side of the portal would give Rarity a heart attack," was her first thought.

A dark clouded sky loomed above her and only an ancient looking stony bridge connected the portal directly to the upcoming, bar none biggest challenge in her young life. For whatever reason this land had nothing else than the huge flying building, the bridge and crystals in form of a lot of mountains as environment. Beneath the former dean was an endless black abyss, it seemed. The sky was dark, from grey and black clouds.

"The last exams before I graduated were a joke against that," Cadance whispered to nobody in particular in awe and fear at the same time.

It looked like a foreboding cathedral of death. In fact, she was sure it was just one big deathtrap, but she couldn't refuse to enter. She had to win and survive in the process her trial, after all. Well, somehow... without any magic of her own.

She was so doomed, the former dean was sure of that.

Frescoes of war, malicious looking demons, enslaved humans and other dark topics of all kinds adorned the many windows of the building in all their colorful and partially very bloody glory. And not only demons. A few windows showed images of different fire elementals, to the woman's surprise. The cathedral itself was made out of black crystals in all sizes and shades, but black no less.

There were towering spires, walls, statues like flying monstrosities appearing upon the broad ledges of the crystalline roof, doors, everything.

Speaking of doors, Cadance felt watched. Made out of red crystal, upon the black crystalline main gate, were two big glowing slitted eyes with three-dimensional eyeballs on the gate. They even moved! In general the cathedral looked like reinforced by thick layers of crystal and gave the construction the touch of a citadel.

She moved to the left; the eyes followed her. To the right, again. Running a little in both directions? No problem. That was totally not creepy at all. Nope!

"OK, Cadance, you can do this," she told herself helplessly. The eyes looked like they tried to pierce her very soul. "I hope."

As she stood in front of the door the eyes closed themselves and the heavy doors opened... but nobody came. The interior of the cathedral didn't fill her with much confidence either. A huge in dark crystal lobby, glowing with its own unseen lights, maybe magical, greeted her. Two chandeliers stood at either side of the beginning stairs. The candles were lit with black flames, inviting the young woman to take the the only possible way which led upstairs to the next room. A lot of stairs.

"Whoever created this place was a sadist and clearly had no knowledge of elevators," Cadance thought in annoyance, exhausted just from the sight of all these stairs.

After 10 minutes of taking the longest staircase of her life, the young woman reached another door, this time with smaller red crystalline eyes. They followed her every step like their bigger cousins downstairs.

"Okay, now this is just ridiculous," she thought, frustrated.

Again, the eyes closed themselves after she stepped forward and the door opened, granting her entrance to the next room and relief from the stare.

"It is good that Twily isn't here, I think I just found one of her secret wet dreams," Cadance whispered to herself without a shame in the world.

It was the biggest, most expensive looking private library she ever saw or ever would, most likely. Many bookshelves, strange looking artifacts and scrolls, from ancient to new, from what some titles suggested. Candles with the same black fire were distributed around the room, resting safely in bronze old-fashioned candleholders. Chairs, armchairs, beautifully crafted tables, carpets, quills and ink in masses... it all looked amazing. The ex-dean was sure that this existed with the sole purpose to make it as comfortable and cozy as possible for every scholar.

"This place looks cleaner than Aunty Celestia's plate after she had cake," Cadance commented dryly.

"I don't know who that 'Celestia' is, but I thank you for the compliment no less, my lady," a husky voice of a man replied politely with a demonic echo in it.

She looked to her right and in a taupe colored armchair sat the most handsome man she ever saw, maybe in his mid-thirties. Luckily, appearance alone wasn't everything she desired from a man. It was difficult to keep herself from blushing, still.

He had black voluminous hair and sideburns, gleaming inviting brilliant scarlet eyes with deep scarlet pupils and slightly sharpened teeth, visible because of his charming smile. This man had a prominent face, like it was cast in stone. He was tall, too, maybe 1.95 meters in Cadance's opinion and had a fitting complexion of dark grey.

He wore on his head a silver circlet with two, one shorter, one longer, spikes on the sides. In the front of the ring sat a pure ruby crystal embedded in enchanted obsidian.

Very gallant and majestic looking silver armor covered his chest and segmented plates on his legs from above his sabatons to the start of his hip, crafted to leave more than enough space to move. Then he wore Kobarid gloves and the metal completed the armor around his stomach region and arms, sitting tightly around his body.

"You must be one of the demon's officers," She tried to sound brave.

He gave a chuckle that would let lesser women swoon, "Indeed. Please, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sombra and I will test you in the Trial of Domination," he supported the woman's claim.

"S-Sombra?! As in the Sombra? The man who founded the Crystal Prep Academy in Canterlot?!" Cadance exclaimed, shocked.

"Oh? I fear you have me at a disadvantage here. I'm sure that the humans over 100 years ago decided to erase every official written record about me, because of the... problems I caused at that time and they didn't want to give credit to a ‘lunatic'. Should I know you? Explain yourself, woman." Sombra inquired curiously but with force in his voice.

Cadance didn't want to mention and involve the others with this man. Her instincts told her to be very careful with what she would say. So she decided to act like she found out everything on her own. The woman would just tell enough to be as convincing as possible. Mostly the truth.

Luckily, she remembered every detail of his notes, still. She listened very well when Sunny Flare and her friends told her everything and it helped that Canterlot's fall was only two days ago.

"N-No. My name is Mi Amore Cadenza, or Cadance for short, by the way, not 'woman'. But to answer your question. I found your old study in the underground sections of Crystal Prep. I once worked there as a dean and helped the students. I found there a book with the title 'The Art of Summoning' with notes of yours that described how you were always fascinated with crystals and knowledge and how you, because of a given hint from a colleague of yours, discovered the temple of the Scions of the Elementals in Greece. You described how most people believed that the temple was nothing more than a 'temple of religious fanatics' and how you discovered the hidden shrine and the book I mentioned before," she started her explanation. Hoping she was convincing enough so that he wouldn't start asking the wrong kind of questions.

"Deeply interesting. Go on. You have my attention, Ms. Amore." Sombra waved his hand in a please-continue-motion.

"No, thanks! I really don't want your attention!" Cadance thought, shuddering in her mind.

She calmed herself and continued, "Well, those elementals were more than a myth for you, so you searched for a source of magic you could use and utilized the book as a compass, in order to summon them. It led you to Canterlot, but the source of magic was hidden in a statue in front of a military base, so you searched for another one and found it on the ground of an old church. A crystal. The locals called it the Crystal of Faith. You claimed the crystal and the land where the church was built upon and founded the Crystal Prep Academy. Then you summoned, after 10 years of preparation, a fire elemental, swore your loyalty to gain the position of a Scion and got your own brand of magic; Crystal Magic. You became a mage and then... well..." Cadance didn't know how to continue. Would Sombra be insulted when she said that he lost his marbles?

He grinned at her in malice, "I became insane, huh? That I wanted to be a king? Be the ruler of my own empire? Yes. I was a fool back then, but it wasn't entirely my fault, in my defense." Sombra shook his head in distaste.

"What do you mean?" she asked carefully.

She was very interested in his story now. He was the definition of a saturday morning cartoon villain in her mind. At first, Sombra only wanted to find ancient knowledge, then he went mad because of the very power he sought, declared himself a king and wanted to create his own kingdom. From what she understood, through the explanations of the girls.

Wait. Sunset Shimmer once told them that she came from a parallel world. So in theory, everyone should have a counterpart in her homeworld, right? Had Sombra one, too? She made a mental note to ask the girl if she knew about it.

"But only when and if I survive this trial." Cadance thought bitterly.

"It seems some context is needed. Let me explain. After I became a Scion of Fire, I devoured every piece of literature the elementals gave me. I sponged up every little bit of information in me with glee and mastered spell after spell in record time. But then I fell prey to one of the most prominent emotions of mankind. Greed. Soon, I wasn't satisfied anymore with the knowledge about my new powers as an half-elemental. Oh, that reminds me. What became of the tome I used to summon my former master?" Sombra asked and interrupted his story.

Cadance hoped he wouldn't notice how nervous she was. She decided to use a half-truth, she was bad at lying and couldn't come up with lies out of nothing, for what her aunts always teased her when they played games in her years as a teenager and a good poker face was the most important thing.

"The former principal of the school, a woman by the name Abacus Cinch, used this book and summoned her own fire elemental. I witnessed that from behind the door. Her master, some 'High Recruiter Igniticious', tossed magic at me and destroyed in progress not only the door, but the support for the lower levels, too. I had to run away after they escaped on their own with magic and the entire underground section collapsed. The book is lost under tons of rubble and ash," she replied neutrally.

A slight growl escaped his throat. "A pity. Some very old books and scrolls were hidden in my former study, but there is nothing I can do about it anymore. This knowledge will be lost by now, even the literature that survived the incident. The spell I once cast that preserved the study, especially the books and scrolls, lost its power the moment the study was destroyed, because the room was used as the foundation for the spell so that only items in the room itself would be maintained by magic. I'm sure you were wondering how everything stayed clean if nobody entered it in decades; that was the answer. The century of no maintenance, time itself, took its price in the moment the spell stopped working. Everything already turned to dust. Still, that is interesting, indeed. So this principal became a Scion of Fire as well? The irony that two principals of Crystal Prep became Scions..." He shook his head.

The former dean simply smiled awkwardly.

"But to continue my story. My former masters didn't like that I became obsessed with seeking knowledge that was forbidden to me, but I don't fear death and they knew it. So they decided to punish me in a very... creative way. They blocked my powers as a Scion and my Crystal Magic and wanted to imprison me until the moment I learned to be patient, no matter how long. But I managed to slip away and escaped back to earth, returning to my study in the academy,” he continued with distaste, as if remembering something to be ashamed of.

She didn’t like where this was going.

“I couldn't accept defeat and searched for a book that I stole out of the Nemesis Library. A book about what uneducated and narrow-minded beings call 'Dark Magic', because they have the simple idea that darkness is equal to evil, no exceptions. The moment I returned to my office to make last preparations and to uphold my disguise as a principal the local police barged in and took me prisoner,” he admitted stoically.

Cadance’s eyes widened. “I-I didn’t know that happened.”

Sombra snorted, “Presumably they found out, or more the church which owned the ground before me, that I stole the Crystal of Faith from them and switched the original with a replica. Somehow a clumsy altar server managed to let the replica fall and shattered it in thousand pieces. I didn't know that before, but this crystal was in ownership of the church for a few centuries already and it never received even a scratch, no matter what happened. On this way they discovered that the replica was only made of well crafted glass. At first they thought that the crystal lost its powers or that god had forsaken them, because the copy, obviously, didn't glow when they preyed. Like the original always did. Well, it 'stopped working' after they relocated the crystal, or should I say, after the business with me. So they put two and two together in no time and knew who was responsible; me.”

Cadance meanwhile glanced at a few books to get an idea what kind of knowledge he had in his hands, but refocused on him.

“It was no use to even try to tell them the truth. They wouldn't believe me anyway if I would have told them that the crystal was taken away by fire elementals and so they tossed me in prison. With the book I took from my former masters, after they allowed me to keep it. I begged them in desperation, because I needed it to regain power and one act of pity was worth it for me. I lost everything else, but I didn't care. I read the book in the dark of the night and used it to call something like a shade, a Umbrum. In my endless hunger for power I ignored the book's warnings like a blind fool, much to my shame, that a Umbrum was a twisted soul, having no other desire than to spread misery, death and destruction and shouldn't be summoned lightly. I let it into my body to gain power once more and it used my desires against me. The book, it was called, for your information, ‘The Ways of Darkness - An Uncertain Path', mentioned that these pests would use desires against the summoner and only beings with a strong will and soul should even dare to think about summoning a shade. Of course, I was arrogant and sure that nothing could control me. Oh, how wrong I was.”

Another question surfaced from her mind, “Abacus Cinch changed in appearance after her transformation. How was it possible that the other humans never found out about you when you were still a Scion?”

He smiled in amusement, “A simple illusion spell in form of an enchanted ring I bought to keep up my disguise as Principal Sombra. My former teacher never understood why I wanted to keep my human body, if only as an illusion. I guess I was sentimental and didn’t want to forget my origin.”

A tea set appeared suddenly on a small table in front of Sombra and with a snap of his fingers another seat appeared. He motioned for her to sit and gave her something to drink. It felt surreal for Cadance, wasn’t he supposed to fight her? Instead he played the humble and charming host!

After taking a sip from his own cup he locked eyes with his ‘guest’. “The shade twisted my thirst for knowledge, made me even more power-hungry and sparked the wish to be a king to all. Worse, it twisted my love for crystals in such a way that it made me wish to create my own Crystal Empire.”

He sighed, “Sometimes, life is truly cruel. I made last preparations for a takeover of Canterlot City, but before that happened I met my savior and new mistress, Lady Alandra. She communicated with me in my dreams. My true self that was already trapped in the darkness of the Umbra, and told me that she felt how one or more of these shades were summoned to earth. She was the new jailer for them, after the old jailer, some stupid demon with the name 'Hannyabol' or something like that, was fired.”

So the demoness was called Alandra? She decided to keep this information in the back of her mind.

Sombra rolled his eyes, “This embarrassment to any among demonkind with honor flirted with a Succubus and forgot to check the prison seals. They needed to be contained even in the realm of demons because of their insane nature, because these twisted souls have only the wish to erase all creation, no matter if ally or not. He let Umbrum escape out of Tartarus and nobody knew what happened to them or where they are now. They just escaped into an unknown world and it was impossible to track them down. The world which had the misfortune to be infested with them has my sympathy.”

She nodded her head in understanding, “I see. So now she occupies a higher position, I presume?”

He made no comments to agree or disagree, no hint to give away more than he intended. A clever man. “The point was that it was her duty to contain them and she wanted the shade back to keep her job and please her masters at this time 100 years ago. So she made me a deal. I would pledge my obedience to her and she would in return pull my soul back to Nephariom, Tartarus, hell or purgatory is this plane called by humans. It would, as a side effect, pull my body to her as well. The shade didn't know that something like that was even possible. She said we could solely communicate with each other and make this deal work like that, because I had a Umbrum in me.”

“You mean this strange magical barrier that keeps the strongest demons from turning Earth into their wasteland?” she asked dryly. Her eyes widened and she put her hands in front of her mouth, fearing how he would react.

She was lucky. The handsome mage laughed this time. “Indeed. Demons weren’t able to pass the Nether Barrier at this time and so it was easy for her to find the shade. She just had to find the only source of demonic magic on Terra. After the shade and I would be back in the realm of demons, Lady Alandra could banish the shade's conscious deep into my mind. Separating wasn't possible any longer by normal means, because it fused partially with my soul. There was only one logical choice I could make and it wasn't the one where I would be trapped inside my own body forever. Lady Alandra brought us to Nephariom. I remembered how it happened in the middle of my study after last notes were made about the wish to be king. You read them. The shade managed to escape with magic of darkness and escaped through a portal back to the study. It happened in the middle of the day in a new session where I should be questioned about where I 'hid the Crystal of Faith', I'm sure the authorities covered my disappearance with a believable story. The truth was... too much, I guess. It doesn't matter anymore. Now, the Umbrum wasn't prepared and immediately banished by my mistress. After I was once more in control I kept the part of my deal and became her faithful followers.”

“H-how are you still alive? You should be dead by now. Not that I wish you were dead of course! But, well…” Cadance chuckled nervously and stopped talking.

He took her words with an unnerving calm, “Demons don't really age as humans do. The moment I accepted, my new magic gave me back my youth. Since then, for over a hundred years, I learned how to use my new abilities as a demon and refined my skills with my Crystal Magic, too. To cut my link with the elementals, so that they wouldn't find me by chance through my connection to the element of fire, I had to go through a long process of painful purification to erase the elemental magic. I learned for over a century to be patient, learned from my past mistakes. Being trapped in your body and not being able to contact the outside world in any way because of your own greed is surely an eye-opener. Now I stand here before you as an officer of Lady Alandra, one of her most trusted servants and ready to test you in the Trial of Domination, Ms. Amore. Still, I hope you enjoyed my story," Sombra ended his explanations with a charming smile of his.

After Cadence listened to the demon's story and tried to remember everything, like how he was now surely a very well-trained and experienced fighter with his skills and abilities, there was just one thing that went through her mind, "I'm so dead!" she thought in sheer desperation.

"I think I have a good idea what you are thinking and I fear I have to concur. You will never be able to defeat me in the upcoming fight, no matter if you find your own magic now or not. You would still be like a newborn in comparison to me in the topic of magical control and experience with it. So I want to make you a proposal," Sombra suggested calmly.

"What kind of proposal?" Cadence inquired, not sure what he wanted.

She just hoped he wouldn't ask her to become his bride or to follow him or something like that. The young woman wouldn't do something like that and was no object to be used.

"You see, Lady Alandra and I are in a... let us call it, 'stressful situation'. The Umbrum inside me has until this day my soul in its clutches in a way, still. His corrupting darkness surrounds my soul and tries to make me a shade, too. My mistress is always able to cast spells which protect me from such a grim fate. But it is annoying and she has to cast the necessary spells every six months for them to continue working. The other two trials of your friends, our Lady informed us per our connection with her who would fight so I know about the other two women, deliver more than enough entertainment for her, but nevertheless, she desires your soul after all, too. You have to fight for your freedom, my dear.”

Cadance gulped.

His tone was nearly hypnotizing, “My proposal is that I, with the blessing of Lady Alandra who agreed already, will release the Umbrum and seal away my strongest abilities from him in my mind. You will only fight the shade, not me. It has not my skills nor intelligence, but should be a worthy challenge for you. Umbra take upon the personality of their host, so he will be much like me, just... much more insane. Be careful, Ms. Amore. A beautiful lady such as you shouldn't die through the hands of such an unholy being. The portal that would bring you back to Earth needs a soul as a sacrifice to work. In other words, someone has to die. There is no escape or other way out. I will use the Umbrum as my personal sacrifice to escape death. Umbra are twisted souls, but souls no less, so its sacrifice in the moment you 'kill me' will be enough to bring you home. Don't hold back.”

She couldn’t really express her disbelief, “B-but why? We never met each other. Why are you doing this for me?”

“Just remember the following: 'You shouldn't judge a book after its cover'. That being said, not every demon is 'evil', as you might want to believe. Take this shard of wisdom with you in the event that you survive. It may let you make the right decision one day. Even when everything in you screams to end something or someone. Good luck," Sombra said with his ever present dark smile.

He teleported them into an arena made of black crystal. Huge crystalline formations, like the different sized constructions in a mountain chain, represented the natural borders of the plateau they stood upon.

Sombra concentrated and a foreboding and sinister aura surrounded his body. He lured the Umbrum to the surface. This was the moment of truth for Cadance and she mentally prepared herself.

"So many bad things happened in the last few days. An entire new world awaits us now and we have to stand together in order to survive. I don't think Sombra lied about anything he said. And these shades, these... 'Umbra'. It makes my blood boil that something like these things even exist in the first place. Their only concern and desire is to create misery wherever they go. I won't tolerate such creatures of insanity! I will destroy every shade I may encounter!" Cadance swore faithfully.

It triggered something inside of her. A brilliant white light with a tinge of pink surrounded her.

"White Magic" a female ethereal voice stated.

After a few seconds, the magical auras of both fighters disappeared and opened their eyes. They were filled with determination!

Sombra's eyes were changed now, Cadance thought it must be the Umbrum's doing. The formerly white sclera changed color to a poison green and purple vapor left the side of his eyes, his teeth were now sharpened entirely, not only the fangs like before. A gleam of pure madness in the eyes to support Sombra's definition of these shades.

"Ah. Finally! Released from my prison. I don't know why, but it doesn't matter to me and I won't return, I'm free once more and his body and powers are mine to command, like it always should be. I have to escape this realm so that I can finally build my Crystal Empire," Umbrum-Sombra thought in malicious glee.

Then he noticed the former dean in front of him.

"I see. Are you here to pledge your loyalty to your king? Such a beautiful woman like yourself should rule as my queen. What do you say? Be at my side and together we will rule Earth one day!" the Umbrum exclaimed gleefully.

"Disgusting," Cadance muttered under her breath before she continued loud enough. "No, thank you. You are just a vile monster and I'm here to end you today, Umbrum!" she declared bravely.

"You know what I am? How flattering, but compliments alone won't save your head. If you dare to defy your future king further, I have no more use for you. I may reconsider to grant you the honor to be my queen, only if you swear to follow me now. This is your last chance!" the shade announced.

Cadance sent her answer in form of a white slightly pink beam of light. Umbrum-Sombra blocked the attack with black crystals he created out of the ground. They shattered instantly and he was pushed back a few meters by the resulting explosion. Scratches and bleeding wounds from crystalline splinters were instantly healed with darkness and the shards were absorbed from it.

"I see. So you choose death over a position at my side? So be it!" the shade shouted angrily.

He created more crystals, this time beneath Cadance. They should rip her to pieces, but the screams of torment never came. She teleported away in a flash of light, not one moment too late, and looked around herself for orientation. Her first teleport and she hadn't emptied her stomach, no matter the ill feeling. The woman was proud of herself. It was strange, her new magic granted the freshly made magician the insight that teleportation counted to the more dangerous and mana expensive spells, but her White Magic was specialized in this type of spells. It was one of its fortes.

So no missing limbs or gruesome ends for her, yay!

She stood now behind the Umbrum, who noticed her just now and shot another beam of light at him. The shade laughed at her.

"You fool! I can regenerate myself whenever I want! No matter how many wounds you inflict upon my body, physical or magical, it doesn't matter. I am darkness itself," he said smugly.

"Exactly," Cadance replied with a smile of her own.

The shadow was confused, until the beam of light actually hit him. It burned like nothing the shade ever had to feel before, the same with the pain. "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!"

He disappeared into the ground and formed himself anew a few meters to the left. The body of Sombra itself seemed to have no damage at all, but the shade was clearly in torment, if its facial expression was anything to go by.

"What was that?! No magic should be able to harm me in such a way! Explain yourself, witch!" Umbrum-Sombra demanded to know in utter fury and hatred for his opponent.

"What you are is your greatest strength. Your darkness protects you and helps to regenerate even the worst damage to your body, flesh or not. But your true body is exactly your greatest weakness at the same time against mages like me. I have White Magic at my disposal. The natural antithesis against beings made of darkness, shadows, or beings who are fuelled by such. It is a form of magic that is entirely based on the element of Light and gets stronger, depending on my emotions. My compassion and love for others makes me strong and reinforces my abilities enough to cause serious damage to your true form, because you are made of hatred and darkness and I represent light and love in a manner. I can decide if I wish to attack bodies of flesh or things hidden to the naked eye, with my abilities, like you who are hiding in your host. I never aimed for Sombra's body, but yours. My new power allows me to have a better understanding of others’ emotions, especially from an opponent such as you, Umbrum. And what I see disgusts me. I can't influence feelings directly, but I'm aware of someone's state of mind and that's good enough for me. I can empower myself depending on the amount of mana I have left and my inner faith. These abilities are more than enough at the moment to take you on." Cadance explained.

Now she was sure she would win, even as a beginner. Not against Sombra, he would annihilate her in a serious fight, she was sure of that, but the Umbrum was another story entirely.

"Curse you!" the shade spat acidly.

It disappeared into the ground again in a puddle of darkness and tried to escape somehow out of the arena. Normally the Umbrum would just use other abilities to kill the woman and continue to fight, but the last attack of Cadance severely injured its own body. It needed to recover somewhere in darkness, badly.

"I don't think so!" the woman screamed after the being and concentrated her, for now, strongest ability, "Judgment!"

The entire ground of the plateau was covered by a giant, 50 meter wide magic circle of a whitish-pink color. It was filled with many words, geometric lines, symbols and runes. Three rings, together as one, the smallest covered 2 meters around Cadance, the second ended in a radius of 20 meters and the last and biggest circle, 50 meters.

The Umbrum couldn't move any longer for whatever reason and was, two seconds later, literally kicked out of the ground. Its protecting darkness was erased from existence. White chains of light surrounded the shade's body and ripped it out of Sombra, cleansing his soul in process from the remaining darkness of the Umbrum. Sombra's body laid still on the ground.

"Wow. I know you are made of darkness, but even for a shadow you are ugly," Cadance commented smugly.

The shade looked like a famished black bald ghost and had the form of a biped being. a little smaller than a human. with rotten teeth, long nails on feet and hands, long pointy ears and empty eye-sockets. The creature in front of her only wore a ghostly grey loincloth.

"Screw you, wench! You ruined everything!" it responded in unknown levels of hatred with a sharp, distorted and painful sounding voice.

"My pleasure." She mock-bowed out of the smallest ring. "It is time that you, monstrosity, disappear forever from existence."

The entire three-layered circle became smaller, until solely the creature who was caged in its chains remained in the smallest ring. Sombra awoke, back to his old appearance. He stood up, claiming his rightful body the moment he felt how the Umbrum was ripped out of him with force. He watched the entire fight from a safe place in his own mind. He never saw or heard of such magic. Truly, this new world, this new Terra, may never cease to amaze him with its wonders. Hopefully his lady would allow him to visit Earth himself.

"In the name of Lady Alandra, I, Sombra, hereby sentence you to extinction. May your soul be devoured by the void and serve as a sacrifice to grant this brave soul a safe return to her homeworld." he announced like a judge making his verdict.

He nodded his head and Cadance finished her spell. If looks could kill, the Umbrum would have burned them to ashes by now.

A giant pillar of light erupted out of the ground from beneath the shade, no sound could be made by it. The spell obliterated the creature of darkness.

"I must thank you, Ms. Amore, for liberating me from this parasite. Lady Alandra will be pleased, too, even though she didn't get your soul. You took care of an old problem that was on her conscience for a long time and she always keeps her word and her part of the deals she makes. My Mistress gave her word to grant you free passage out of the Ghastly Gorge, no matter the outcome of the trials. It was only about entertainment. Your souls were the prices in the case of failure. Farewell," Sombra said with a last graceful bow.

Before she could muster an answer, a golden light encased her body and in a bright flash, the new magician returned home.

"Maud! Why do you always win!?" Limestone screamed in annoyance.

Her sister won 40 of 41 games of tic-tac-toe on paper or the ground. She would demand one last game, like the last 30 times the teen thought like that, because the girl knew that the answer to her next victory was 42!

"Because I rock and Boulder already knows what you are planning before it even happens. Lime, you are predictable," Maud answered with a faint smile.

The Pie Family sat in the Shadow Maniac made circle for three hours now. it got slowly darker outside and they hoped that the three women would return soon.

It was like fate heard the plea.

A black crystalline portal appeared and Cadance stumbled out of it. "Well, that just happened," she said, in a deadpan.

Another portal appeared, the one of Celestia. Said woman stepped into their sight. "Cadance! You won!" The former principal rushed to her niece and crushed her ribs with the might of her armor protected body. Or that was how the pink woman felt.

"H-hey, Au-Auntie? Can't b-breathe!" Cadance tried to say. Celestia released her.

"I'm sorry Cadie. I'm just happy that you returned. How was it? Who and what was your enemy? Did you discover your magic?" The younger relative was asked many questions at once. Celestia said them in a moderate speed, but Cadance could just sigh heavily in response.

"Let us spare the talking until we are back on Sweet Apple Acres so that we can tell our new experiences the entire group. I really don't want to repeat myself and it is important that everyone knows about what happened with us," she reasoned tiredly.

"I agree, Ms. Amore," Igneous Rock supported.

The rest of his family nodded their heads in agreement, mostly because they couldn't wait to find Pinkie Pie, finally.

"Hmm. Where is Auntie Luna? I'm sure she didn't lose either when even I came back," Cadance asked curiously and modest.

"D-do you hear that?" Marble asked in a whisper. The others nearly didn't hear the girl.

They listened closely to locate the source of the sounds and looked up. Above them Luna's portal came into existence. The exit faced the ground.

"Curse yooouuuuu!" Luna shouted, highly annoyed and fell out of the portal onto the ground with a loud metallic thud because of her armor.

Celestia rarely laughed this hard in her life at her sister's misfortune before. The facial expression of her sibling was just priceless for the woman.

Maud, Cadance and Marble chuckled. Cloudy Quartz and Igneous smiled strangely and tried hard to stop themselves from laughing, too. Limestone had a good laugh out of this as well.

The lunar knight stood up and voiced her opinion about her transportation back to Terra. "You did that on purpose!" Luna shouted into the sky, sincerely insulted.

"I don't know what you are talking about." the for all, except for Cadance by now, unknown voice said in purest innocence.

Luna fumed silently, Celestia patted her supporting on the shoulder.

"So the trials are over, right? You promised to let us go," Limestone stated unsurely. She didn't know if the demoness was furious, because she lost and didn't get any of her desired souls.

"Girl, I'm not the 'sore loser type'. And yes, like I promised, you can leave the gorge. I thank you for the entertainment. And especially you, young Cadenza," Alandra said the last part in a grateful tone.

This last part caused everyone to look confused at the woman in question, who blushed in response.

"N-no problem, Lady Alandra.” She looked at the rest of the group. “Let us return to the farm. There we can talk about everything in peace and quiet," Cadance told the others.

"He told you my name? I think I need to talk to him about stealing my thunder. I wanted to introduce myself to you on my own. Don't think I'm not sour that you killed two of my officers, especially you, magician of the sun. That last ability was cheap. I always told Infermo that creating his platform above the maze would be a stupid idea, but did he listen?! But I gave my word. Leave this place and don't dare to return or next time I will rip out your souls myself. Understood?" Alandra asked warningly.

They all nodded their heads in eager agreement. The officers on their own were more than enough, they didn't need the leader herself.

The Shadow Maniacs disappeared all at once, dissolving slowly from head to toe into nothingness like they were ancient statues and for the first time in eons, a fresh wisp of wind made contact with them.

The group left the gorge, rich on new tales to tell.

On their way back to Sweet Apple Acres, Luna glared accusingly at her big sister, who tried to look everywhere in a carefree manner, except at the moon blessed woman herself. She cursed Alandra mentally. The demoness just had to tell everyone that she finished her fight in a less than entirely honorable manner, didn't she? Celestia could already imagine the lecture Luna would give her in the moment they were alone when she had to explain herself.

"I guess we can tell everyone how we met and survived demons... wow I never thought I would say something like that in my life," Limestone said, surprised and already waiting for the moment when she could gloat to Pinkie how Maud and she discovered their own magic.

"I-I think th-this day was... something else, y-yes," Marble supported her sister in a low voice.

Everyone had a good laugh at her summary of the day. It made the shy girl chuckle, too. It was time to return home.

Author's Note

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Sorry for the delay and all, I thought a long time about it how I could write the three trials. :twilightsheepish:
I hope you had your fun with the riddles before you read the answers. :trollestia:

And I hid Zelda references in this chapter, it will be interesting to see if someone could find out all of them before reading the solution. Especially the order and implications. :ajsmug:

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 15 - Reunion

"I think she's waking up," a female voice said in a relieved tone from her left. Wait, she knew that voice somehow, didn't she?

"About time. She's slept since the early evening yesterday until now... it's nearly noon," another familiar male voice commented dryly from the right.

Sunset Shimmer opened her eyes and blinked away her dizziness before she could finally focus again. She saw a blue sky with a few white clouds distributed across it, feeling the warm rays of the sun upon her amber skin. The girl's mind felt a little foggy, still. Then her memories returned in a rush and Sunset recognized whose voices surrounded her. She winced from a small headache.

"Shining. You know as well as I do that she used up her entire magic pool in the fight with Arachne and her brood. Cut her some slack!" Sunny Flare lectured the impatient young officer.

"OK, OK, I'm sorry. I just don't want to worry the others more than necessary. We've been gone nearly two days," Shining Armor replied, apologetic and put up his arms in defense. He looked sheepishly at the glaring Shadowbolt.

Sunset supported herself with her hands and raised her upper body, peering between her two... friends? Yes. To her, they were new friends. Fighting together against bloodthirsty foes in a life-or-death situation could do something like that.

A silent groan ended the conversation of the duo. "I feel like a train hit me. I was really asleep for such a long time?" Sunset asked curiously.

The two mages in question nodded their heads.

"Wow. Well, that teaches me that I should be more careful in the future, huh?" she tried to joke. Her friends chuckled politely.

"You were out like a light, Sunset. You slept for nearly 20 hours straight. We were already discussing if you used too much magic and somehow fell into a coma," Sunny explained with a worried expression.

"What?!" Sunset thought alarmed. "20 hours?! I know I used all my magic, but I didn't think it would be like that! Well, granted, I never came close to such a state as a Unicorn. Sometimes I channeled more of my magic into a spell than normal, but not to the last drop. I don't think that this is healthy either, I have to be careful that it doesn't happen too often," she mused analytically.

"Thanks for watching over me, guys. I hope I wasn't a burden in my time of... rest," Sunset said gratefully, slightly blushing, because she slept for such a long time.

"No problem. Now, let's go before the others die of panic or boredom just because we didn't come back and you needed your beauty sleep," Shining Armor tried to joke.

Sunny had to stop herself from slapping him on the back of his head, seeing how their friend clearly felt uncomfortable for the delay she caused.

"It wasn't even her fault. She couldn't afford to hold back," Sunny Flare commented in her mind, rolling her eyes.

"Are you ready to go back?" the ice magician kindly asked out loud.

"Yes. I feel much better now. I was just a little dizzy after I woke up. We should pack our things and return to the others," Sunset replied with a smile.

Her teammates nodded their heads in agreement. She decided to not let her worries about her long involuntary timeout bother her. She would just simply be more careful in the future.

They finished their last preparations before they would leave the borders of White Tail Woods. Sunset looked one last time back to the place of her fight with Arachne and turned around, facing the direction where the farm was. She chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Sunny asked confused.

"Nothing important. I just thought of how we were gone now for nearly two days and what the others were doing all the time. People like Rainbow Dash must be bored out of their mind, she hates it when she has nothing exciting to do or an opportunity to prove her 'awesomeness'. I'm sure the Apples are giving them more than enough work on Sweet Apple Acres, maybe they were in Ponyville to buy supplies, or the former principals are training their magic. Otherwise there is not much I can imagine they are doing”

A sigh escaped her lips, “OK, maybe they already had trouble, again, which I really hope isn't the case. Sometimes I have the feeling we're literally attracting all sorts of issues, we could sit around and it would haunt us in the least expected moments. I wonder why," Sunset explained the last part in annoyance.

On the last thought, the other two didn't have an answer, but Sunny, on her part, could connect with the girl's sentiment after everything she went through in the last short time.

Shining Armor didn't think about such things. If something happened, he would act accordingly. As it was always his duty as a police officer. He was a simple man.

"Come on, Sunset. I think you are worrying too much. I'm certain that nothing bad happened in our absence. The others are surely waiting for us. It's not like they all had to go through something similar to what we did. The farm is a safe place," Shining replied with a reassuring grin.

He was eager to see his little sister and Cadance again. Oh, and Spike, too, of course. The paladin hoped that his parents were alright and he would somehow be able to track them down once they had more time at their disposal and a safe base of operations. He didn't lie to Sunset Shimmer. Shining was confident that the Apples' farm was a safe place, after all. But nothing was set in stone and a farm with such a big perimeter as Sweet Apple Acres was too difficult to defend without any forms of further protection like having walls or strongly built fences in the case of a massive attack from beings like the fire elementals.

The young officer had to admit that ideas such as walls and fences sounded like things people would solely know from the ages of old, but they had some way to prevent easy entry for invaders or wild animals, right? Well, it was just an idea to build something like that, nothing more. Maybe they could create something like checkpoints which needed to be passed before it was possible to enter. He would talk with the others in their next meeting about it.

Of course, first they needed a place to live where they would have access to food, may it be provided by nature itself, shops in case of a town or village, lands where they could produce it, water and shelter. Possibilities to train would be good, too, but it wasn't the most important item on his agenda right then. Of course it was possible to live just in another town like Ponyville, but this place had no means of defense at all, which had to be provided. Especially because of the neighbouring Everfree Forest and its new kinds of dangerous animals. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility that some new magically created creatures lived there, who didn't have any problems with attacking a city on their own. For example, under the cover of the night.

Canterlot didn't fall just because of the unknown nature of the enemy, but because the forces of the police and others who could provide means of defense weren't able at all to coordinate with each other fast enough to actually do anything, too. They were far too thinly distributed across the entire city. It didn't help that they had no ways to communicate with each other, either.

And then there was another problem. Before they left after their last group meeting, he asked Moondancer what her impression was of Ponyville. Shining wanted to know how the atmosphere was there after the destruction of Canterlot City. She forgot to mention it earlier in their meeting, but he just remembered that she didn't inform them about it after they already started to split up and his team started to make preparations for their journey.

The girl reacted embarrassed and apologized a few times before he stopped her, because the former student of Crystal Prep was only focused on her discovery of why no more devices of communication worked, so that she completely forgot about the state of the town itself.

She told him that some people acted pretty strange in her opinion, that most humans clearly showed great amounts of distrust, fear and, but mostly the refugees who managed to escape to Ponyville in great numbers, hatred. People started to talk about the things that attacked and all the other rumors about ‘magic-related events’ in the last days and weeks. And nearly all, again, very much led and convinced by the people who lost everything in the fires of Canterlot, citizens of the town seemed to agree that everything magical had to be fought and judged before Ponyville could become a ‘second Canterlot’.

At least that was what she heard from conversations of the inhabitants she walked by and read in the town's biggest newspaper, the Ponyville Times. She wanted to inform herself about the newest developments after her chat with Fleur, so she informed him.

That being said, they couldn't just walk into the town without hiding that they weren't enemies of magic and even had enough magic of their own at their disposal. That meant Ponyville wasn't an option to live in for now, sadly. And fighting magicless and scared citizens wouldn't be possible either, not even in self-defense. It would only provide the enemies of everything magical with more fuel.

If he counted right, Sunset Shimmer, Ms. Celestia, Ms. Luna, Sunny Flare and himself had the ability to use their own forms of magic in an active manner, well, momentarily. Five mages weren't the world against whole troops of scum like thieves, raiders or worse, the fire elementals from Canterlot.

Shining Armor didn't hold himself under any illusions. Without any government, which held up law and order, people with a more fragile morale code, secret or open anarchists and enemies of state wouldn't think twice about living after their own set of ‘rules’. In fact, this world, in its momentary state, was like an El Dorado for them.

He was sure some of these people would steal, murder and do other despicable things in the name of ‘survival’ or used other excuses for their vile acts. They didn't have to answer any longer to enforcers of the law who would bring them to justice. So, who should stop them?

The police officer just hoped they wouldn't encounter this kind of humans. Or members of other races, for that matter, now that he remembered the details Sunset told them about after she could look into the mind of this phoenix.

He still found it very hard to believe that Sunset could talk with it, he already had a hard time believing that the shy girl with the pink hair could talk with all kinds of animals. The young man decided to put these abilities under ‘magic’ and didn't question it further. Moreover, he gained his own branch of magic not long ago, so the former alumni guessed that it was just how it should be for them, like for him having his Paladin Magic.

"I believe her name was Fluttershy," Shining thought, if he remembered the name correctly.

"I can't wait to show the others that I can use magic now. Finally I'm able to protect and fight on my own and don't always have to rely solely on you, Ms. Celestia or Ms. Luna in dangerous situations anymore. Eh, no offense," Sunny added with an embarrassed blush, paired with an awkward smile.

Sunset just laughed it off. "None taken."

She found it amusing. Even after all this time and the whole ‘no offense’ thing was used in conversations with her, still. Some things never changed it seemed.

Sunset looked at Shining, "Maybe you are right. It won't make things better and will only cost me energy to constantly worry about 'if' and 'maybe' scenarios," the young magician concurred.

Equipped with a positive mindset, they started their way back.

The trio managed to reach the western borders of Sweet Apple Acres after hours of walking, it was already late afternoon.

Normally, the way would have been faster to walk at, but they had a little quarrel on their way with four small, angry looking trees.

These beings were called Forest Walkers, living trees which defended the forests and sometimes very rarely other places with a plant-friendly environment they were living in. Usually they were friendly or at least neutral to other beings, but something seemed to make them livid what caused the assault on the mages.

With a height of 1.7 meters at least, real dark brown colored, glowing, narrowed eyes, human-like arms made from branches of various lengths at their sides. Their movements reminded the group of octopodes on a hard surface, because the living trees moved, somehow, with their roots above the ground. The Forest Walkers had a thick, stocky body, colored in differently shades of brown or grey and looked like their crowns were trimmed, having only a few leaves on top so that the head was barely protected, or had no leaves at all.

Sunset didn't know why these creatures attacked them in the first place. She tried to talk with them, but the attackers didn't seem to understand her, or didn't want to.

One Forest Walker tried to attack in the meantime and surprised Sunny with its speed, without having real legs, so Sunset had no choice but to attack herself. She used her magic and incinerated the magic-fueled entity to ash. The other three retreated back where they came from, fearing Sunset for her Phoenix Magic.

It left a bad taste in her mouth that she had to do that, but she couldn't risk Sunny getting hurt or worse. Maybe these beings were similar to timberwolves, in a constant state of aggression? They were animated creatures of wood too, after all. Or so Sunset guessed. She wasn't sure what caused this confrontation.

But it made her very curious why living trees existed on Earth on the first place. The former student of Princess Celestia never read about something similar in her homeworld.

"Ah. Sweet Apple Acres. Finally." Shining commented in joy and relief.

"We should go to the house and search for the others," Sunny Flare suggested, equally eager.

"You must be the last missing team. I hope your mission was a success," a thick Zebrican voice said from the side.

They saw who, or more what-, spoke to them and prepared themselves for a fight, not trusting the stranger. Whatever she was.

Shining reacted the most aggressively, "Who are you?! Where are the others?! Answer me!" he demanded to know.

The shaman chuckled in amusement. "I see. Cadance already said that you would react like that when I decided to meet you alone. You must be Shining Armor. My name is Zecora, I'm what you might call a troll. A troll shaman, to be precise," Zecora explained smiling to the confused and, in Shining's case, angry trio.

"Zecora!" another, this time familiar, voice shouted, agitated.

The others saw who it was and the amber magician recognized her instantly. "Ms. Cheerilee?!" she exclaimed in shock and happiness.

It was good to see that the librarian and occasional class teacher of CHS was alive and survived Canterlot.

"Oh? Ms. Shimmer, you are back! And you must be Shining Armor and Sunny Flare," Cheerilee said with an inviting smile. Then she looked sourly at the shaman. "Zecora! I said I would come with you and that you shouldn't meet them alone. What were you thinking? They could have mistaken you for an enemy and attacked!" she scolded her old friend.

The troll in question just smiled at the former teacher and replied calmly, "You don't give me enough credit my dear friend. I can hold my own quite well. Besides-" she looked at the Phoenix Magic user, "-I wanted to meet the infamous Sunset Shimmer myself before we start with catching up."

Zecora gave the magician in question a kind smile. Sunset blushed because of the sudden attention and the hidden compliment she noticed.

Sunny snickered behind a hand and voiced her own opinion in a proud tone, "You can say that again! We met in White Tail Woods a giant spider and her brood, but Sunset here fought and defeated her. Destroyed her eggs, too. Only a few spiders escaped and I don't think that they are like Arachne, but we should explain everything in greater detail later, when everyone is in one place. Of course, Shining and I helped her earlier."

"You are Ms. Cheerilee? Twily once told our family about you. And... you know Zecora?" Shining asked, interested. Instead of anger and caution like before, he felt a little ashamed for his outburst and had slightly red cheeks. The paladin put his focus on Zecora, "I think I owe you an apology. I shouldn't have reacted in such a manner. I-"

"Don't worry. I know why you reacted like you did and I'm sure most would have acted the same. I respect that. I was a stranger and you didn't know if your allies, friends and family were OK still." The troll shaman tried to put his nerves at ease.

"Well, we should return to the house to take a break. The others have been waiting for you for a long time and used it to train their magic or helped on the farm. It is good that you are back now; they nearly stormed off to search for you. Luviel barely managed to stop them and said that they should have trust in you." Cheerilee saw the confused expressions of the team. "Just follow me," she said dryly.

Sunset was confused. The others were training their magic? Was she talking about her friends? Were they training their Equestrian magic? Did something happen during their absence? And who was this ‘Luviel’? Questions. So many...

As they started making their way to the house, Sunny whispered to Shining Armor, “'I'm sure nothing bad happened', eh?” and earned herself a glare.

"SHIMMY!" the arch nemesis of personal space shouted happily and in excitement.

Sunset knew what would occur and prepared for the unavoidable attack. Then it came. It was fast, merciless in its intention, a pink missile. The only person, who called her ‘Shimmy’, much to the young woman’s dismay, had arrived with the force of a truck.

She looked out for the approaching danger, but it didn't work in the slightest. The next instant, she was laid out on the ground, having problems to breath because of the bone crushing hug she received.

"P-Pinkie Pie, a-air...!" Sunset croaked helplessly.

"Where did she come from?" Shining asked, completely dumbfounded. He didn't see her coming from the direction she should have come in order to tackle-hug her friend into such a position. "No, seriously. I didn't see anything and I didn't blink. Where did she come from?!"

"Don't despair. Some mysteries are just meant to never be understood by the mortal mind, young man," Zecora answered in a wise and cryptic tone.

Shining's eye twitched. How was his sister able to accept such impossibilities? He was sure she would normally try to discover the truth behind this girl's antics.

The party lover inhaled deeply, then it began, “Imissedyousomuch!FirstIwaslikewhereisshe?AndthenIwaslikeissheok?!Butthentheotherssaid-" Pinkie Pie couldn't continue her rapid fire of words after she released Sunset. The magician in question put a hand on her friend's mouth,

She ignored it and talked into Sunset's palm with vigor. Nobody understood her ensuing mumbling.

"Pinkie, calm down! I missed you and the others, too. Could you let me stand up now, please?" Sunset asked nicely and in great patience.

"Of course. Oh, oh! I have to introduce you to my family! Be careful around Limestone. She is still a little sour about what happened between us before the Fall Formal. That's the reason I always kept her busy and away from you whenever you visited at my house and she was there at the same time. But don't tell her that I did that, it's a secret." Pinkie whispered the last sentence in a warning tone. She saw Sunset's nervous expression at the mentioning of her time as the school bully. "Don't worry, Shimmy. She is a big softy and I'm sure you can get to being the best of friends. I hope," she assured with the smile of a Cheshire cat.

Who was Limestone? Wasn't that one of the other two other sisters Pinkie Pie once told her about? She'd only met Maud and that was during the sleepover at Pinkie Pie's house when Princess Twilight tried to write the counter spell against the sirens' magic. The humanized Unicorn talked to her fellow Pony that night in the kitchen, when Maud suddenly appeared out of nowhere, teleportation must be in the family, she guessed and decided that her ‘pet rock’ Boulder was hungry. Strangely, she never saw the rest of Pinkie's family, but the hyperactive girl loved to talk about her family.

On their way to their final destination, they saw how the students all helped on the farm, more or less successfully, under Big McIntosh's watchful eye so that nobody did anything wrong by accident. He nodded in their direction in acknowledgment and announced with his deep country voice, "Y'can take a break for now! Ah'll call for y’all when it means to get back to work!" Some were surprised at first that the stoic farmer spoke more than one word.

"Finally! A GREAT and POWERFUL hunger has plagued Trixie for the last two hours!" the stage magician exclaimed dramatically.

Everyone ignored her lament with practiced ease.

"Hey, big guy! I knew you could say more than one word," Shining Armor commented, chuckling. He remembered how all answers he'd ever received from the farmer consisted of two words: ‘Eeyup’ and ‘Nope’.

"Eeyup," Big Mac simply replied with a mischievous grin.

The five women laughed at the paladin's following facial expression.

"You missed soooo much! Nearly everyone has their own form of magic now. Dashie has Heavens Magic, Rarity has Duelist Magic, Fluttershy has Druid Magic, Applejack has Esper Magic and Twilight Arcane Magic. Then there are-"

"Woah, pause! You wanna tell me that our friends have discovered their own magic, too? Since when could they do that? We were just gone for two days! How can all that happen in such a short time?!" Sunset inquired, completely stunned.

"I know! Isn't it great?!" Pinkie replied in sheer excitement, oblivious to her friend's confused and shocked state.

"That's certainly... interesting. Do you have any magic of your own?" Sunny asked with a tilted head and a raised eyebrow.

"Nope! I don't have my own magic, yet. But I wished I had something like 'Party Magic' or 'Baking Magic'. That would make it so much easier to organize parties!” She gasped loudly. “Do you think I could have something like 'Smile Magic'? 'Joke Magic'? 'Laughter Magic'?" Pinkie Pie asked happily.

The shaman chuckled. “Pinkie Pie, you are truly something else," Zecora stated, amused by her antics.

"I can't be something else. This morning I was still me in the mirror of the bathroom." She giggled. "But maaaaybe my magic has something to do with making copies of myself, like Sugarcoat can do with her Illusion Magic-"

"She has magic, too?!" Sunny shouted, surprised. Her question was ignored by the further talking pink enigma.

"-I mean that would be silly. Could you imagine a situation where lots and lots of Pinkies are running around? You would never discover the real one if you have no idea for what you had to look for and would have to think up something insanely boring. Like watching paint dry, so that people may find the real Pinkie. Well, as long as you don't shoot me instead with magic or something else. That would be awkward. I mean, duh, what good friend would be this cruel to me and risking to erase the supposed to be best friend's existence or possibly banishing me to the place where the copies came from in the first place? It would end with the situation that a fake took my place and the irresponsible person for taking my life and freedom away from me would live a lie in the blind hope that he or she chose right. Only because of the striving for a fast and easier solution instead of thinking through every little detail and contingency in order to avoid potential harm to me as the original," Pinkie finished her very dark thought experiment with a sincere smile that screamed innocence.

Sunset had the sudden urge to question Princess Twilight's intelligence, badly. Why? It made no sense, so she ignored it. The rest of the group looked disturbed at her carefree description of such a dark event.

"Just... let's go..." Shining commented plainly. He had no idea what to say otherwise.

"Okey dokey lokey!" came the cheerful agreement of the second youngest of the Pie household.

After everyone walked in the direction of the house, Sunset, Sunny and Shining noticed quickly that the closer parts of the roads to the house and nearby environment were artificially protected by variously sized, between 6'6" to 16'5" tall, thick walls of stone which surrounded the Apples' household completely.

Behind the walls were platforms at the top and center of the constructions, with stony stairs that led to them and windows to look through, making it possible to have a higher position in case of an attack and granting the opportunity to defend and act accordingly. The main road to the house even had a small gate with a welcoming wooden fence-like entrance, that stood behind the newly made gate, still, crafted out of big planks. In front of the walls which surrounded the house were many sharpened long palisades to prevent potential threats from climbing them.

Suffice it to say: Sweet Apple Acres was fortified.

"It's... beautiful," Shining stated, touched.

These fortifications were leagues better than anything he could come up with in such a short time. The paladin didn't care that he had no idea at the moment how all that even came into existence. Shining Armor took his time to admire everything first. Questions could be asked later.

Sunset noted and judged every detail, turned her head to look at Zecora and Ms. Cheerilee and asked, interested, "Magic?"

"Magic," the shaman and former teacher answered in sync.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac confirmed.

"You should have seen that! Maud... rocked!" Pinkie voiced her part. A round of groans was the response.

Sunny broke the silence on their way, “So, concerning the possibility that we presumably missed everything…” She still wasn’t sure how to react to the brought news about their friends.

"All questions and uncertainties shall be answered in due time. Now that you are back, we can finally plan and talk about everything that transpired in greater detail. Otherwise Pinkie and Twilight explained to their families what happened in the last days until the point they came to this place." Zecora explained with a knowing smirk. Her sharp teeth were on display.

"F-families...?" Shining Armor asked, full of hope and already slightly wet eyes. "Do you mean our parents?! Twilight Velvet and Night Light?!" he demanded to know.

Shining was shortly before the point of exploding from anticipation. The door of the house opened and another known person stepped out

"Shiny! You're back!" Cadance shouted joyfully.

"Cadance!" came the happy reply.

The lovers embraced each other in a tight hug and kissed passionately for a at least 20 seconds. Ms. Cheerilee cleared her throat, loudly.

"O-Oh! I'm sorry about our... open display. I just couldn't contain myself," Cadance apologized with a polite bow.

Shining Armor was blushing furiously, scolding himself in his mind for doing something like that in public.

Big Mac nodded his head in an approving manner. He even gave the other man a thumbs up.

Zecora looked at them with a warm smile. Cheerilee made a face of exaggerated mock disgust at the couple, but was clearly unfazed by the display, if her grin was anything to go by. It worried the woman in the back of her mind a little bit. Luviel's sexual jokes and her very open nature with all kinds of such topics had rubbed off on her, it seemed.

Pinkie, Sunny and Sunset just giggled and especially Sunny had to stop herself from delivering a jab into Shining's confidence and man-pride. She saw that he was already flustered enough without further input and decided to spare him. For now.

"Yes, your parents are alive and well in health. Your sister and her friends found them," Zecora answered truthfully.

The former police officer could jump for joy... so he did. The assembled witnesses laughed at the scene.

"Velvet, Twilight and Night Light are inside the house at this moment. They are helping with preparing the meals for everyone on the farm. Granny Smith is with them and two of Pinkie's sisters. You can greet them if you like." Cadance commented kindly.

He was already gone, leaving a cloud of dust shaped like himself behind.

The former dean had known Shining Armor for a long time now, but she never knew he could run that fast!

"Shining!" the voice of Twilight Velvet screamed in bliss, very happy about finding the last of her children.

"Yippee! We need a 'Family reunion' party!" Pinkie ran inside, too. She was on a mission.

"I think we should follow to make sure that our dear friend doesn't drive Mrs. Smith crazy in her own kitchen, again," Zecora said, shaking her head in amusement.

"Eeyup," Big Mac supported.

He knew what she was talking about. After the teams returned one by one, Pinkie Pie had to be stopped from organizing a big, ‘You-all-survived-your-own-adventure-and-unlocked-your-magic’ party. Combined with a ‘Welcome’ party for every newcomer.

Their supply of Apple Cider wouldn't have survived it. Rainbow Dash fought most determinedly and very heroically for saving the cider. She even erected one of her newly learned Wind Barriers, claiming that this shield would be ‘Pinkie-proof’. Her friends looked at her like the girl was insane, be it for taking such extreme measures in the first place, or for thinking naively that she could stay awake longer as Pinkie to keep up the shield.

In the end, the situation could be solved peacefully. Maud just said to her sister that she should wait for throwing a party until another time, like when Sunset and her team returned safely from their journey. Pinkie agreed immediately. She rarely questioned her big sister's advice.

The sight of the heartwarming scene in front of their eyes let the two remaining girls and the former dean tear up a little. Twilight Sparkle, Twilight Velvet, Night Light and Shining Armor hugged each other, unbelievable happy to finally be reunited as a family once more. Spike jumped around them in circles, barking to his heart's content. The other three adults dismissed themselves before and went into the kitchen.

A few minutes later, Sunset said to her friend, smiling, "I'm so happy for you, Twilight."

Mentioned Arcane Magic user looked up, recognizing this voice every time of the day, "Sunset!"

For the second time in a short while, Sunset Shimmer found herself tackled to the ground from one of her best friends. She sincerely hoped that she wouldn't receive too many bruises from falling with force onto the ground so much. Particularly because she had a few good friends left, still.

Sunny Flare stifled a laugh at the young woman's plight. She was sensing a possibly hilarious pattern.

"You must be Sunset Shimmer. Twily told us all about you and how you saved her in the Friendship Games. We are eternally grateful for what you did," Velvet said. Night Light nodded.

Since the Friendship Games, Twilight always went to her friends for sleepovers or other things. When they were a few times at Twilight's home, it was a small mansion in the more wealthy neighborhoods, her parents were always out at the time of the different activities they had and never met Sunset in person before.

What the bookworm tried to keep a secret for as long as possible, because she feared at this time that the others would judge her, thinking she was a snob. Her fears never, obviously, came true.

Twilight released her friend in light embarrassment and let her up. "I just did what had to be done and didn't really care at this time how to safe her from the corrupting magic. Besides, without the help of our friends it wouldn't have been possible. Otherwise, Midnight Sparkle would have won," Sunset replied humbly.

"Come on! Without Spike's puppy dog eyes, what helped Sparky here to be back in control, I would have kicked your bottom all over the place! No matter what you had beforehand as support. It was like stupid plot armor in some mediocre fantasy book! I call hex!" Midnight exclaimed in Twilight's mind.

The body’s owner had to contain a fit of giggles, her twin sounded sincerely annoyed and betrayed at the same time.

"Ah, yes. The, how all call her, 'dark side' of our daughter. It wouldn't have mattered to me what she is or who she is. She will always be my daughter and I would have grounded the young lady regardless," Velvet mentioned smugly.

"Hehe..." Twilight could have sworn she saw in her head images of how Midnight shed tears of... happiness?

"Midnight? Are you ok?" Twilight asked worriedly.

No answer.

"Shimmer! At last, we meet face to face!" a slightly raspy female voice shouted in victory.

"Huh?" Sunset turned around to face someone she never met before, but heard enough about to recognize the girl who spoke. Limestone Pie.

"Pinkie Pie always tried her best to stop me from introducing you to Holder's Boulder, lucky for you, he's not here. But! You bullied my little sister for a long time in CHS and even made her cry with your actions. And now you think you are one of her best friends and everything is forgiven by everyone? Ha! Are you ready to face the overdue consequences?!" Limestone demanded to know. In fact, it wasn't a question.

"W-What?" Sunset didn't expect that.

"Is this girl on something?" Midnight asked dryly.

"I-I think you are overreacting a little bit, Limestone," Twilight tried to calm her down.

"Captain Grumpy, stop!" Pinkie intervened and blocked her bigger sister's path.

Limestone rolled with her eyes, “Calm down, Pinks. I just want to talk with her," she commented, annoyed.

"Aha! I knew you-what?" Pinkie enquired in confusion.

Something her friends didn't witness that much in the time they knew her. Normally the hyperactive girl was always joking around and rarely serious, not confused in such a manner that she had nothing to say anymore in response.

"You told us yesterday how she was one of your best friends and some more things about her. I trust your judgement in that matter for now. Don't worry. Geesh. No, with consequences I mean-"

"Are you alright? We heard shouting," Zecora asked as she came into the room. Followed by Big Mac and Cheerilee.

Another girl Sunset didn't know hid herself behind the door. She looked very similar to Pinkie in some regards, if Pinkie's hair was flat this girl would look very similar to her friend. That had to be her younger sister, Marble Pie.

The shy teenager watched the scene unfold from a very safe distance, not being able to say anything except uttering shy sounds.

"It seems there was just a small misunderstanding, don't worry," Sunny Flare replied reassuringly.

"If you are sure. We just talked with Granny Smith and she said that the barn in the north would be empty in the moment. You can't mistake it, the building looks fairly new. We collect the others from their activities on Sweet Apple Acres and tell them to meet there, so we can finally tell each other about the major things that happened in the last two days and plan further," Cheerilee elucidated.

"We'll need som' time and Ah'll look for Applebloom and her friends. Ya'll have one or two hours to catch up a little before the meetin' starts. Don't keep us waitin' for too lon'," Big Mac said stoically in his country accent. He walked out of the room without a care in the world.

"Did he just spoke without using 'eeyup' or 'nope'?" the former police officer queried in bafflement.

"Shining Armor! Don't be rude! It is not polite to talk behind others' back over them. He is just a man who can be understood and gets his point across easier, without using too many words," Velvet scolded her son.

He looked at his mother confused, then remembered what he just said and blushed. "Sorry?" Shining whispered, embarrassed.

"Who are you, Sugarcoat?" Sunny asked him and shook her head in mock-exhaustion.

"Well, we should go and search for the others before this situation gets any more awkward," Cheerilee stated dryly.

She and Zecora left the scene. Marble couldn't decide what to do at first, but in the moment she noticed that all eyes were upon her, the girl ran away. The others sat themselves upon chairs, pillows or the couch and helped themselves with apple juice and water.

"Don't worry about Marble. She is a really sweet and pure soul, just very shy around strangers," Limestone elucidated. Then Pinkie's bigger sister was noticing how nice and feminine she suddenly sounded. "And don't you dare judge her!" Much better, she had in the end of the day a, self-imposed, reputation to uphold!

"I guess we have to keep it short, but I really want to know the following. What in Luna's hoof happened here?! Seriously, we come back, suddenly as good as everyone has magic and their disposal and the farm got fortified?!"

"What has the former vice-principal to do with your question? And why 'hoof'?" Twilight wondered.

"Sparky. You are such a dork sometimes," Midnight groaned.

Shining and Sunny had to laugh at that. On the way back, Sunset told them about more ponyisms in her language, because the Ice Magic user wanted to know if words like ‘everypony’ and ‘anypony’ were the only words that were used at the former Unicorn's home. She found such a use of words cute.

The ex-student of Princess Celestia told them a little about Ponies’ kind of ‘swearing’. About words like ‘ponyfeathers’ or that they used the names of their princesses in their language as idioms like humans used the word ‘god’, like: ‘For God's sake!’. Only with the name of one of their princesses instead.

Sunset fastly assured them that she was sure that they weren't real gods like humans used this word in the sense of describing some almighty being they believed in, to calm the duo down.

They looked shocked and clearly wanted to know if an Alicorn was something like the God in things of power, so Sunset had to save them from having a stroke. In the end she said that it was just how Ponies spoke nowadays and that one of the strongest words of ‘cussing’ was the word ‘peeved’.

Shining could just laugh at that level of innocence the inhabitants of Equestria displayed in this topic.

Sunny Flare found the Ponies behaviour cute and liked it very much that they didn't ruin their thesaurus with vulgar language and that many fellow humans should take them and their mannerisms as an example.

Sunset asked herself for a few seconds how Fluttershy would react when she saw her first Equestrian Pony, seeing Sunny's reactions to more details about her kind. Who was normally more poised and elegant in her demeanor, too. Would the shy girl faint or squee out of delight? Humans seemed to see Ponies as something ‘absolutely adorable’ for whatever reason. And she only talked about the adults, what would happen if they saw Pony foals?

"I think the specific stories how we all discovered our magic or what happened here on the farm will be told later. But we could tell you guys what happened from our view after we came back from our little ‘adventure’ before we have to meet the others," Twilight suggested warmly.

The recently arrived trio nodded their heads in agreement.

"Oh! Oh! Take me! Pleeease, I want to explain!" Pinkie pleaded with big eyes.

"Sure. I don't mind. Go on, Pinkie," Cadance replied, amused at the girl's behaviour.

"Are you sure Pinks? I just remember you at the times when you told our family about the magical incidents at CHS and how you tended to fill your stories with, I'm pretty sure, exaggerated things that were happening in them." Limestone questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Wait, she did what?" Sunset asked with open mouth, looking at the pink girl in question, astonished.

The redhead was sure that they at some point, she was sure of that, agreed to keep magic a secret or at least to not show it openly when it wasn't necessary to keep themselves, the school and especially the portal to Equestria, safe.

"Oh Shimmy, of course I told my family about everything we went through. I would never keep secrets from my siblings and parents. That would be just silly” She giggled shortly. “And don't worry, Limey. Just let your Auntie Pinkie Pie recap everything! I'm good at such things, I love exorcism!" Pinkie exclaimed cheerfully. Limestone stared at her, unamused.

"Aren't they sisters?" Velvet asked her husband quietly in an unsure tone. He just shrugged.

"Don't you mean 'exposition'?" Sunset corrected in some amusement. Ignoring her friend's antics.

"Yes! I like that, too!" came the happy answer. Nobody knew what to make of that bit of information.

"Alrighty tidy. I feel like it was only two days ago that we returned to the farm..." Pinkie Pie started in a nostalgic-like voice.

"But Pinkie, it were just-" Twilight was ignored masterfully from the smiling storyteller.

War. War never changed...

"Pinkie Pie. What are you talking about?" Night Light enquired, completely lost.

"And where is the dramatic and sad music coming from?" Spike followed irritatedly.

"Upsy-daisy! That was not how it started. Give me a second," Pinkie replied assuringly.

In the moment they arrived, Pinkie knew that the fight against the mean plant tentacle monster demanded sacrifices, but she was all out of gum...

"What?" Sunny commented dryly.

The group just arrived at the farm, knowing that the cake was a lie all along...

"Pinkie..." Sunset said emotionless.

After they left the portal, Twilight and Pinkie stayed a while and listened...

"We did what?" Twilight enquired. She felt a headache incoming.

Their enemy had met with a terrible fate, hadn't it?...

"Pinks! Focus!" Limestone demanded from her little sister.

"Party poopers. I just wanted to ease the situation with a nice intro." Pinkie pouted.

A blue white door-shaped portal opened in front of the Apple's doorstep. Twilight, her parents, Spike, Pinkie and Rarity stepped out of it, before it closed.

It was already late in the evening. They walked for a long time outside and after their fight with the Gluttonous Evergreen, Twilight's namesake graced the sky.

"So, this is the place you lived since Canterlot happened?" Velvet asked the friends. She liked it here, it had a rustic charme.

"Yes, mom. We had already our fair share of... experiences, hehe," Twilight tried to reply in a sincere tone.

There was just one problem for her. She was on her worst days easily as bad in lying as Applejack and otherwise as convincing as the girl could be, what didn't mean much either.

And she was certain that her parents pretty much saw everything with their own eyes. The plant monster, their display of magic. There wasn't much she could do.

"Just surrender, Sparky. Mom and dad pretty much know about our abilities by now. There is no more denying possible," Midnight concluded helpfully for her twin.

Twilight Velvet and Night Light had similar thoughts.

Of course her parents picked up on their daughter's strange behaviour since the beginning. Mostly before the upcoming of the Friendship Games two months ago. It was time to have a little ‘talk’ with Twilight and she wouldn't be able to escape them or talk herself out of it this time, especially with the great amount of eye-opening events which transpired. Many magical things were already reported in the newspapers, what they assumed were just rumors, but why should they have believed that mythological beings like timberwolves existed or that unexplainable new forms of flora, which the married couple saw now with their own eyes, were suddenly discovered out of the blue?

Then the invasion took place. The truth couldn't knock harder on the door, even if it tried.

Besides, she and her friends displayed their own abilities. There was no more proof needed anyway.

Rarity noticed the tension between parents and child and excused herself. The fashionista didn't need more drama, even though when she was a undying fan of dramatic family reunions and such, after such an event, solely a nice warm shower. Who knew? Maybe she could ask Applejack if a bath was possible. "That was certainly a tiring day. I must confess, I never would have expected to end up using my fencing skills in actual combat and come out of such an encounter without breaking a fingernail or bones for that matter. I have to look after Sweetie Belle anyway. Have a good night everyone, tata!" Twilight looked after her leaving friend and felt betrayed in her darkest hour.

"Seriously? It's just a talk!" Midnight voiced her honest opinion as Twilight's ‘conscious’.

"Pinkie?" Twilight asked in hope.

"Yes, Twi-Twi?" she stated, obvious to her friend's plight, or the girl knew and just pretended. The arcane magician wasn't sure.

"Do you-"

"PINKS!" a young woman shouted in a slightly raspy voice. Tears of happiness were streaming down her cheeks like a downpour.

She had light apple green eyes, opalish gray hair which fell to one side of her face and bluish gray skin color. The girl wore black shorts, dark grey flat boots, reaching slightly above her ankle. She wore furthermore slate blue wristbands and a purple, short-sleeved shirt with a symbol upon it. A lime with two rocks beneath it.

She ran fast in the direction of the girl to embrace her. "I missed you, baka!"

"I never said something ridiculous like 'baka', Pinkie Pie! Seriously, you watch too much animes in your free time," Limestone complained with red cheeks.

"Oh. So the part that you, Ms. Tough as Nails, were crying was true?" Sunset teased mercilessly. The girl in question grumbled embarrassed.

"Really?" Sunny asked, interested. The girl didn't make the impression that she got sentimental this easily. She gave the impression to be similar to Indigo Zap, who always tried to look like someone who stood above crying. Of course she had her moments, still.

"Well give me a break! Even the strongest girl can slip if she finally found her little sister after searching for her the whole time. Don't interpret too much into it," Limestone answered pertly at the end in an attempt to safe her image.

"Careful, Limey. Your inner tsundere is showing," Pinkie joked before she continued. She received a glare

For the first time in the duration of their friendship, Twilight witnessed how the pink girl was the one who was crushed to death herself and wasn't the... crusher? Anyway, the point was that strong hugs and affection in abundance seemed to lay in the family. Maybe it was something genetic? She recognized the girl from the descriptions Pinkie Pie gave her when she told her about her family in great details. This had to be Limestone Pie, her bigger sister.

"Or everyone in this family is just plain crazy," Midnight guessed, convinced.

"Says the disembodied voice in my head," Twilight replied smugly.

"Who is more insane? The voice in somebody's head or the person who talks with mentioned voice?" Midnight enquired amused.

Touché! Twilight had nothing.

From the distance one more person, a girl, similar in age to Pinkie, came running and added herself crying to the pile. Followed closely behind by two adults and a young woman, who watched the touching scene in front of them from close a distance with teary eyes and a happy smile. Pinkie's oldest sister and her parents, how the scholar realized.

The youngest looking girl of the three who hugged Pinkie like her life depended on it, could only be Marble Pie. Her hair was very smooth and hid one of her grayish violet eyes, it remembered Twilight at Fluttershy a little bit. The colors were a dark cynaish gray with spring-greenish gray streaks and she had turquoisish gray skin. Marble wore maroon knee-long boots with three purple marbles imprinted upon each of them on the feet. Long maroon shorts and a ocean blue shirt and a indigo colored vest completed her outfit.

The young woman approached and hugged the now standing and crying Pinkie Pie, too, in a gentle but meaningful manner. She was someone Twilight already meet once during one of her activities at the Pie's household. Maud Pie, in all her emotional controlled state.

Pinkie knew that her big sister cried mostly only on the inside, like Applejack, but her eyes were wet and she smiled in pure happiness at her younger sibling. She was super-duper-amazingly glad to have her sister back, Pinkie knew that.

"How are you able to tell that she was happy? She looked for me, well... like always, hehe," Twilight asked her pink friend in confusion.

"What is it with you people and always claiming that our big sister would have problems to express herself?! She is like EVERY - OTHER - HUMAN!" Limestone shouted angrily. It annoyed her to no end that others dared to talk about Maud like she was some kind of freak.

"Calm down, you are scaring them, sis. They just don't know Maud like we do and have no idea that she's the bestest biggest sister for us in the entire history of sisterness! Yippie!" Pinkie said and managed to calm down Limestone.

"Sorry. I meant no offense," Twilight whispered uncomfortably.

Shining scowled at the girl for shouting at his sister. Sunset mumbled something about ‘overused catchphrase’ and the rest just watched how it played out.

"Come on girls. I think there is no need to be in a conflict with each other," Night Light voiced his opinion. His wife supported his statement with a nod of her head.

"Yeah, there is no reason for a bitch-fight," Spike stated dryly.

The reigning silence which followed was catholic. Except in Twilight's head, Midnight died laughing. She already knew what the young dog meant, but was the one and only for now.

"Spike! Language!" Velvet scolded him, disturbed by the fact that their family dog would use such foul language. The others didn't know how to feel about that either.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that? I just said-oh!" Spike sighed and facepawed. "You humans and your annoying linguistics," he muttered to himself.

Sunset finally realized what he meant and groaned. "Of course. Female dogs are called 'bitches', it's the usually used scientific term for them. He didn't mean... you know," The young magician blushed a little around the ears.

Equestria didn't has places were Ponies would provide such... ‘services’. Or maybe these services existed and she never found out about it. It never mattered to her if brothels or similar businesses existed in Equestria before she came to this world.

She couldn't believe it at first when the internet provided her with more information about human society. It was this day, Sunset Shimmer found out that the internet could be a dangerous abyss. Indeed, when she thought it couldn't get any worse the internet, or more accurate human society, proved her wrong. With a vengeance.

Well, that situation just got awkward very fast, for the humans at least. Spike couldn't care less.

"Please continue, Pinkie," Cadance said kindly, trying to change the topic.

Maud Pie wore something that reminded at mountaineering equipment. Her grayish blue violet hair was protected by a yellow helmet miners would wear. On knees and and elbows sat lavender colored protecting gear, black safety boots and a thick vest above a white shirt rounded it up. On the vest on the side was a small picture of a roughly diamond-shaped rock. Steelblue longer shorts with many pockets and a broad black belt completed her outer appearance in the clothes department. At last, the young woman had light turquoise eyes with a grayish blue violet eyeshadow, persian bluish gray skin and a warm smile to boot.

And on her back rested a giant grey backpack, grey like a rock. She didn't even put it aside like her siblings and parents already did with theirs.

"I'm glad you are fine, Pinkie Pie," Maud commented in relief and happiness.

"M-maud? L-limey? Marble, mom, d-dad. I missed you so mu-hu-huch!" the normally always happy girl shouted in a mix of despair and everlasting joy.

Twilight, Velvet, Night and Spike smiled at the reunion, knowing how they felt.

Now it was the turn of Igneous Rock and Cloudy Quartz to hug their long lost child, showering her with love and affection only loving parents could give.

"Pinkamena, it brings us true joy and utter bliss to weet that thou are fine and of good health," Igneous said quietly.

"Indeed. The Stone of Protection woke above thee," Cloudy agreed in tears.

Igneous Rock Pie had brilliant amber eyes, medium and light grey short hair with sideburns and moderate amber skin color. His attire consisted out of a black amish fedora with a light grey loop, a black old fashioned business suit from bottom to top, beneath it a white grey shirt with a light grey collar, a black tie and black shoes. A pickaxe decorated the right sleeve of his suit.

Cloudy Quartz was amish and old fashioned like her husband. The woman had light arctic blue eyes, old golden glasses on her nose, grayish opal hair with a bun and light cobalt bluish gray skin. She had a golden locket with a sapphire in its center around her neck and wore otherwise a white western frock with a white and black checkered collar and a black apron above it. Her shoes were grey and black and on the left side of the frock was the picture of three rocks.

Pinkie's family surely knew how to make an appearance in Twilight's opinion.

Midnight supported her sentiment and said surprisedly, "Her parents look like they just escaped an old black-white movie."

"We return victorious!" Luna announced proudly, still wearing her armor.

A gallant looking Celestia and a, from her time in Crystal Prep, skirt and uniform wearing Cadance shook their heads in sync at the woman's antics.

The three magicians took part in the gathering and were happy for Pinkie Pie. The girl in question cried in happiness, still.

"Principal Celestia? Do you brought the Pies to the farm?" Night Light asked in confusion and interest. He admired the masterfully crafted armors and weapons the sisters wore.

"Oh yes. We found them in the Ghastly Gorge at the border of the Everfree Forest and brought them with us," Celestia replied smiling.

"I'm glad everything turned out alright for our families, but now there is something I want to ask our daughter since the Friendship Games," Velvet stated sweetly. The former student of CHS gulped at the gaze her mother gave her.

Night Light supported his wife with folded arms and doubled the tension for Twilight.

"I wished I had popcorn in here. This will be hilarious!" Midnight laughed.

The Arcane Magic user sighed heavily and looked at her parents. "Mom. Dad. I know I should have told you everything from the very beginning a long time ago, but I just wanted to protect you and didn't want to give you more things to worry about. Especially things in an unknown area much beyond simple science as humans knew it," Twilight started her apology in a gloomy tone.

"Twily..." Velvet began. "I have a few good guesses because of which reasons you decided to keep everything for yourself, but that doesn't change the fact that you never should have had the feeling that you couldn't trust us in the first place."

"No! I-I always trusted you! It's just so complicated, I never wanted to keep you in the dark for so long, but-" Twilight Velvet interrupted her daughter before she started to hyperventilate from the sheer amount of guilt she felt.

"You don't have to apologize, my little star, but know this. It doesn't matter if something like magic is out of the norm. We are your parents and it is our holy duty and most importantly, chosen wish as such to protect you. Not the other way around. No father or mother would ever want to outlive their own children, no matter what would happen to them in progress in order to prevent this event from occurring. If it came down to it I would gladly wrestle with the fastest and strongest magical monster every time of the day, if that would be necessary to protect you," Velvet explained and hugged her daughter.

"So much mushy stuff," Spike complained with rolling eyes.

Night Light chuckled and petted the purple dog before he shared his own words of wisdom. "Your mother is right, Twilight. You can always come and talk to us. No matter how much you think you shouldn't, just because you are concerned for our safety. It doesn't matter what plagues your conscious-"

"I never felt plagued. But thanks, dad," Midnight, the self-proclaimed and accepted conscience of Twilight Sparkle, ‘cut in’ smugly.

"-we are always there for you. Our own lives and I know that sounds dark, but it's the truth for every parent with self-respect, aren't important to us if the lives of you and Shining Armor had to be, in any shape or form, in danger in exchange for our own safety. Oh, by the way young lady, you are grounded," Night Light finished.

"What?! But dad! You saw how I'm able to use magic-"

"With my help," Midnight supplemented. It had to be said.

"-on my own and besides, I can't just always be at the side-lines and let my friends fight for me!" Twilight tried to defend herself.

"We know Twily, but that doesn't mean we have to like that. What happens if you aren't able to survive the next fight? We would be devastated. I don't want to see the day I have to mourn for my children only because you didn't want to be 'at the side-lines'. The same goes for Shining," Velvet explained worriedly.

"Thou are right, Mrs. Sparkle. I and my wife feel the same, but we have to let our children walk their own path. Two of my daughters, Maud Pie and Limestone Pie, are able to use magic of their own and I can't do anything to support them in combat against dangerous foes, because I myself lack such abilities," Igneous Rock confessed in bitter acceptance.

Pinkie Pie ended her hug-session with a very clingy Marble and screamed in an even brighter radiance than normal, "My sisters can use magic?! That screams for a party! And don't worry Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle, I Pinkie Promise that we, as Twilight's friends, will always do our best to help and support your daughter. Cross my heart and hope to fly. Stick a cupcake in my eye!" the party-lover swore, deadly serious.

"What was that?" Midnight wondered. That motion looked ridiculous to her and still she had a feeling that this ‘Pinkie Promise’ was something very special, somehow.

"My sister and me aren't maybe principals anymore, but we will always help and protect our former students to the best of our abilities," Luna promised in vigor. Celestia nodded.

"I can help now, too. So you can count on me!" Cadance added her own two cents.

"I guess you are all right and thanks for the support. Still, I think it is time that you tell us anything you went through from the beginning. And this time, don't spare any details," Velvet demanded from her daughter. "Do you have anything to say before we start, Twily?"

The book lover lowered her head, “There is something important you should know then. I hoped that I could keep it a secret for a longer time, but it can't be helped now. Mom... dad... I'm pregnant!" Twilight shouted the long avoided truth into the world.

"And that was the important stuff, I think. See!? I said I'm an amazingly great recap teller! And everything was true. Take that, Limey!" Pinkie concluded her story.

"Pinkie Pie! Are you crazy?!" came the livid first response from the 'pregnant' girl herself.

Twilight wasn't amused, just unbelievable embarrassed and shocked from what her dear friend just proclaimed as a fact like the sky was blue. In front of her entire family no less.

"Oh god! This girl is a riot! She deserves a medal!" Midnight couldn't help herself and rolled around in the space of Twilight's mind, clutching her stomach from laugher.

Limestone chuckled like mad at the sincerely confused and innocent facial expression of her sister at the lavender teenager's outburst.

Cadance, Spike, Night Light and Velvet were just extremely confused. They didn't remember that Twilight said something like this in the first place and that was surely nothing forgettable.

Sunny wasn't sure how to respond. Should she congratulate or ask first who the father was?

Sunset massaged her temples. There were just two possibilities now. Number one, Pinkie was pulling their legs. Number two, Twilight couldn't contain herself before knowing him better.

"W-What?!" Shining demanded to know.

He was shortly before the point of fainting or getting a seizure... and eventually murdering the one responsible for taking his sister's innocence without asking for his blessing beforehand. Twilight never even told him anything about a boyfriend and every potential man who thought he was worthy of his sister would have to pass the tests! That meant being introduced to him, having the potential verified through questions, and gaining his respect.

Alone the thought that some random guy invaded Twily’s sacred place was revolting.

Sunset just had to ask her friend, a coy smile on her lips, "Twilight. Did you and Timber? You know..."

"NO! No! No! And No! We never did something like that! I had a crush on him, yes, but I'm not irresponsible and wouldn't risk to ruin my future with badly thought out decisions! Pinkie, where did you got that idea?!" Twilight demanded to know in fury and irritation.

"Besides, I would have known it when you did something like that. We share literally one body," Midnight said with a deadpan and was disgusted from the thought of having their body be touched, kissed and deflowered by the co-director of Camp Everfree.

Twilight was maybe liking the man in such a manner, but she didn't in the slightest. Some of his ‘puns’, in very poor attempts to be funny, were some of the worst pickup lines she ever heard. Or kind of humor for that matter.

Pinkie responded in her typical perky manner, "Well, duh! You and Timber always had your little 'timeouts' together and were alone for yourselves in the last days of our trip and sometimes you came back and looked all flustered. It's nothing to be ashamed of, Twi. Oh, wait! I can even tell you how I came into existence! Yes, that will make you feel better for sure. Fair is fair!”

“Pinks, please don’t-” Limestone was ignored.

The party planner interrupted her sibling and cleared her throat loudly, “It was a dark, cold night in the middle of winter, snow covered the streets like a blanket. The blood moon just graced the barren black sky, not a single star was seen upon the firmament. It happened in this fateful night, when our parents decided with heavy hearts to visit the ancient Stone Circle of Fertility. It was built by our ancestors a long, long time ago. Mom screamed when dad-"

"Just stop! I don't want to be mentally scarred for life!" Limestone screamed in fear, holding her ears closed.

"Okie Dokie Lokie!" came the happy response.

"Pinkie. You are unbelievable sometimes," Sunset spoke her honest opinion.

It made her chuckle that their pink friend had no issue with telling the story of how her parents, well, ‘made’ her. The magician wasn't sure if she should believe her interrupted tale or not anyway. It sounded more like some kind of dark ritual than mere sex.

"Sometimes?" Shining mumbled under his breath.

Twilight facepalmed, "We met with each other to have privacy, you are right. But we never did something inappropriate. We sometimes kissed us on the cheeks and that was all. Timber said that we shouldn't be this fast and first get to know each other better before we went further in our relationship," she defended herself with a red head.

Shining couldn’t approve more.

"Really? It looked to me like you were shortly before a closer kind of kiss before Gloriosa interrupted you during the Crystal Gala fundraiser," Sunset commented smugly.

The purple magician chuckled nervously,"Oh, you mean that situation. Yeah, that was more the fault of the served alcohol. Timber had his good share and felt more daring.”

“Twilight…” Velvet started in a very displeased manner.

The magician groaned. “No mom, I didn't touch anything alcoholic. Don't worry," she explained.

“My aunts didn’t check the drinks before the after party?” Cadance commented in her mind.

The only one of the seven friends who took one or two drinks, out of sight obviously, was Sunset. And she technically never broke a law to this time, in her opinion, because her body was maybe the one of a young woman of maybe 16-18, but she was in fact 26 and saw herself as exactly that.

Nobody knew, much to her and Princess Twilight's frustration, why the portal decided to make Ponies, who stepped through portal, much younger than they normally were. Maybe the age, in years, was counted differently from the mirror for Ponies and humans? Well, that was her theory at least.

It certainly annoyed the former Unicorn to no end that she had to go through a second puberty with her human body.

"Hehe... sorry Twilight," Pinkie apologized with red cheeks.

She knew when she really messed up and caused unnecessary trouble, even when most thought of her as oblivious to everything important. That wasn't true! She could always concentrate when the situation demanded it and-

"Uhh, I smell a yummy apple pie," Pinkie said hungrily to herself. What was the last topic she thought about? Well, didn't matter, it surely wasn't important anyway.

"No problem, Pinkie. There is nothing to forgive. Still, for the future, please inform yourself before you spread false rumors about others," Twilight pleaded her hyperactive friend.

The enigma nodded.

"So... did something else of importance happened or should we make our way to the barn?" Sunny enquired unsure.

"Well, Twilight and Pinkie Pie told us the general details about everything that transpired since the Fall Formal.” Night Light furrowed his eyebrows. “Surprisingly though Pinkie Pie’s family already knew most of the details. With additional remarks from Ms. Amore, Ms. Celestia and Ms. Luna. The others shared a few bits of information of their magic and how it worked, but nothing of major importance.”

Cadance grinned in amusement. “I can tell you that we were certainly surprised after hearing all of your magical adventures and of course your own story, little Ms. Unicorn-", Sunset glared slightly at her two friends. "-Obviously we weren't happy that you all kept so many secrets from us. You may be mages in your own rights and we know that, but that doesn't mean that you have to take the world on your shoulders alone. Besides, you are still teenagers and not some adapted war veterans. We will always try to support you girls in any way possible, should the need arise," she expounded with a sad smile in the end.

The former dean, like the other adults, didn't like it in the slightest that these young souls had to face and witness such odds and gruesome sights.

After they told them about the cave of this mysterious chimera, Twilight Velvet and Cloudy Quartz nearly exploded in Celestia's face to that time, because the woman allowed them in the first place to venture into their potential death. And in progress into the with mutilated corpses filled cave. Night Light and Igneous Rock had to hold back their wives, sometimes with Cadence's help. Luna found the whole scene hilarious.

Velvet continued, looking like she got a headache alone by trying to translate her thoughts into words. "It was certainly great material for every writer of fantasy books, I can promise you that. Magical talking ponies, a princess, demons, a parallel world, evil mind controlling sirens, our corrupted daughter, her insane former principal, Abacus Cinch, who seemed to have played a part in the destruction of Canterlot City.

Limestone snorted and counted other things on her fingers, “Havoc causing magic that changes Terra after its every whim, how most of mankind's technologies were made useless what was the reason that our cellphones died on us. Then there was Camp Everfree with an incident because of one of the co-directors, the following fundraiser for saving it from Filthy Rich, the talking chimera, the phoenix and finally these fire elementals and their Commander Raga.”

Velvet chuckled dryly, “Oh and there are of course Ms. Luviel, who is an Emerald Elf, Ms. Zecora, who is a troll shaman and this giant plant monster that tried to eat us recently. I can talk about all that and feel peachy in my mind regardless. Yep, I'm completely insane when I count everything like that. I don't exaggerate when I say that we literally needed to sleep over so much informations. I certainly had to. Even to this moment many things feel so surreal for me. But all this bits of informations are part of our new reality, of our new world and we have to accept them in order to be successful in the future," the author voiced her opinion.

"Mom. I'm sure we can overcome everything as long as we have each other to rely on," Twilight spoke in an encouraging tone.

"Well said," Sunset supported with a grin of her own.

"Please, spare me more of your cheesy 'friendship speeches'! I don't have ears and I could swear I still feel how they are bleeding from so much insufferable sweet talk!" Midnight exclaimed with a groan.

Twilight pouted mentally at her twin for ruining her moment.

"I think it's time. We should go, the others will be waiting for us," Limestone intervened. The two hours were nearly up.

Everyone present agreed and set out for the northern barn.

Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were sitting in their clubhouse, resting from the farm work. They had the task to pull out weed since the morning... a lot of it.

It was a nice treehouse, formerly owned by Applejack from her own childhood. With the help of Big Mac and the right materials, they rebuilt it to its former glory. Everything was paid through many hours of selling lemonade at CHS, with the permission of Prin-Ms. Celestia. It was worthwhile.

“If I don't have to see anymore weed in my life, it would still be to soon," Scootaloo commented, bored out of her mind.

"I'm just lucky that Rarity doesn't see me in the moment. She would have a fit, my clothes are a mess," Sweetie Belle said worriedly.

"Ya gals can be lucky that we just have this 'simple task'. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Maud, Lyra, Mr. Pie and Flash are tryin' to build fortifications around the eastern orchards, because Ms. Luna and Ms. Celestia reported that a lot of them timberwolves and manticores are sneaking around these parts and waitin' for an opportunity to strike. Well, that's what my sis said. Ah don't plan to be eaten soon and Ah saw once how they had to repel a small attack of a few timberwolves this mornin'. Luckily, no-one was hurt," Apple Bloom explained in her typical country accent.

"Wouldn't it be faster to dispose of these predators?" Scootaloo asked, confused.

"You are not the first who had that idea, but Ms. Cadance, Fluttershy, Ms. Celestia, Twilight's and Pinkie's parents and Granny Smith heavily disagreed. They said that we have to learn to live with every creature from the Everfree Forest as long as they don't try to attack us directly. And that we can't just kill or hurt everything that isn't to our liking, that wouldn't be how it works. After a very short discussion the others all agreed that we have to cope with them somehow. That's the reason why they are building fences there now," Sweetie Belle lectured her friend.

"Why can't Maud and Zecora just use their magic to build the same kind of walls of stone like around the house? Wouldn't that be easier?" Scootaloo enquired confused.

"Two reason Scoots. First, Maud and Zecora said both that our land isn't made to handle such magical constructions in high numbers. Somethin' about that it would lose its support in cases of nutrition and the ground would sink and split apart when the stone beneath the land would be pulled up at to many places at once. Apparently that counts for the earth in general, so said Maud. Secondly, Zecora tried to explain that the 'spirits of earth' would refuse to help anymore when they tempered too much with 'their domain'. Maybe it's a troll thing," Applebloom replied, unsure herself.

Sweetie sighed. "Oh, come on! It's so annoying that only our siblings, their friends and the grown-ups can use magic and we can't." She pouted cutely.

"Yeah! I get it that magic is inside of someone and has to awake in order to be a mage, but maybe we could discover our magic somehow, you know, faster?!" Scootaloo exclaimed, motivated.

"Ya're right. Maybe magic's like a special talent and we just have to discover it! Find our own magic!" Apple Bloom agreed with an excited grin of her own.

"Oh! Oh! We need a name for our group if we want to find our special talents. How about 'Seeker of Magic'? Sweetie Belle suggested excitedly.

"Hm. How about 'Magical Musketeers'?" Scootaloo voiced her own idea.

"No gals. We need a name that suits such a newly founded order! We are like the first ones who came up with a secret society committed to finding someone's magical talent!" Apple Bloom expounded thoughtfully.

"Well, we know that magic can only be wielded when it wakes from the inside of a human. So it's like a really special talent and rare to get by," Scootaloo replied quietly.

"Scootaloo is right and no magic seemed to appear two times in the exactly same manner. Every awoken form of magic is unique to its owner. So you would have to be extremely lucky to be able to use magic anyway," Sweetie added her own thoughts.

"Applejack told me that she found her own magic in the fight with these strange crocodiles-

"Basilisks. They were basilisks," Sweetie corrected in a teacher-like voice.

"Dictionary..." Scootaloo muttered silently.

Apple Bloom gave her pale friend a roll of her eyes in response. "Basilisks. The thing is that her magic awoke in a dangerous situation and we heard from the others that they had similar experiences. Only Sunset Shimmer found her magic... during her sleep, from what Ah know. Don't know about our former principals though. So it seems yer magic can awake in important moments? It's a hint, Ah guess."

"I have an idea! We can call ourselves 'Destiny Crusaders'. Think about it girls! It's our goal to find our special talents in magic and only, well, fateful situations can awake them, right?" Sweetie Belle concluded the trio's informations in a high-pitched tone with little squeaks in between.

Applebloom and Scootaloo nodded their heads in support for Sweetie's idea and found their friend's explanation solid.

"So it's decided! We shall hereby be known as the Destiny Crusaders!" Apple Bloom proclaimed faithfully.

"Gals! Sunset and her team are back! Come down here and follow us to the north barn! Now!" Applejack shouted urgingly.

They looked outside. Applejack and Big Mac stood beneath the treehouse and looked at them, waiting.

"We're comin', sis!" Apple Bloom answered happily.

She looked at her two smiling friends and together they shouted, ensouled by the wish to find their special talents in the arts of magic: "DESTINY CRUSADERS! YAY!"

"I'm so sorry, Sunset! Don't be to mad at me anymore! Please, I can't take it, this pain! It hurts so mu-hu-huch! S-So big!" Pinkie cried, annoying the others as they made their way to the barn.

Sunset could only groan. "Pinkie Pie! I already told you that I'm not mad at you or anything. I just said that I would appreciate it when you would talk to me in the future before you decide to talk with others about my heritage from Equestria. That was all, it wasn't like you betrayed my trust or anything when you and Twilight talked with your parents about me, it was fine. They are your family and they need to know about the truth like everyone in our group for a better understanding of the greater picture. I just asked you to be more careful with my secrets and don't talk about them without my permission with other people, like strangers who could ask difficult questions. And what are you even talking about? What pain? What's too big?" She asked, confused at the girl's outburst she had since they left the Apple's household.

Pinkie was never tired of apologizing.

"I really don't need to know about your friend's secret fantasies," Midnight emotionlessly informed her twin.

Twilight blushed deeply and hoped nobody saw it.

"About the size of my guilt of course, you silly filly!” She giggle-snorted. “I told my family about you without a care in the world and never even considered your feelings! When did I ever talk without thinking it through?" Before anyone could answer the rhetorical question, Pinkie continued already. "I feel bad, that means I need to make it up to you!" she explained sincerely remorseful.

She glomped Sunset with all her might, the girl was lucky her friend didn't have strength-related magic like Applejack.

"P-Pin-kie." Sunset tried to say.

"Do you feel how sorry I am?!" Pinkie tried to transfer her apology per telepathy and an iron grip.

"B-Breath." She started to turn a shade bluer

"I know, Shimmy! Let it all out, I'm here for you!" She was close to achieving a breakthrough, the girl knew it!

"Pinkie Pie, dear. Your wish to show how sorry you are is touching, but I think you should-" Velvet tried to start, but no avail.

"Our friendship will pull through. I can feel it! You are even speechless, that's how strong our bond is!" Pinkie shouted, deeply touched that her friend had no words to offer, it just proved her point. Sunset was surely positively stunned from her will to make amends!

The unmistakable sound of cracking bones echoed through the wind. Friendship was painful.

"Pinkie Pie!" everyone screamed in panicky.

The second youngest Pie Sister finally opened her eyes in time to see how Sunset turned a very unhealthy shade of violet. Huh... wasn't her skin color amber normally?

Midnight sighed tiredly, "Your friends are all insane."

Twilight had no ground to effectively argue there.

Author's Note

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Since Chapter 6, all its followers were more adventure and action based. Now, nine chapters later, the ship is reaching calmer waters. A nice change of pace, I guess.

Seriously, it was time for a fluffy break. :eeyup:

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 16 - Recollections and Confessions

Celestia looked around herself, making sure that everybody was present, except the missing group of Sunset and the others. They talked, laughed and joked with each other, good. It meant that despite the past events, everyone was still in high spirits and didn't lose the will to fight.

She sat besides her little sister, a small smile graced her face. Celestia ate lovingly, from her provided seat, a piece of strawberry cake.

The confectionery of Ponyville never knew what hit it. It was, an one sided, love at first sight.

Luna and Celestia prepared already their position. They placed a big wooden table, covered now with maps, pencils and other items, in front of them. Three big chairs, provided by Granny Smith, were placed behind it in a row. Cadance would have taken the third seat, but she was absent in the moment. The woman wanted to welcome back her fiancé, obviously.

"Do you know when Cady and the others wanted to come?" Luna asked curiously.

Celestia just shrugged in response, enjoying her cake too much. The lunar knight rolled her eyes, her sister was in her own world in the moment. A cake-flavoured one.

The trio planned beforehand what points they wanted to discuss with all people present and that they positioned themselves at the entrance of the barn. It was Luna's idea in the, unlikely, case of an attack. They were positioned between the Shadowbolts and the Pie Family.

The entire barn was filled with chairs, hay bails or camping equipment, serving as opportunities to sit. Nearly everyone found their way to the meeting to this point.

Moondancer sat, together with the other magicless students from Camp Everfree, on improvised carpets made of hay. She hoped that Sunset Shimmer could help her. The unexperienced magician tried to use her Construction Magic with Twilight's help, who she asked for advice one time, but the girl didn't understand how magic really worked either. Well, except her Arcane Magic and some common basics in order to use it. Still, it wasn't enough to help Moondancer building new magic-powered devices, because she had no idea how magic worked in general on a fundamental level.

The very basics.

Sure, the Constructor Magic user knew from the knowledge she received how to connect her magic with minerals and what would happen, like for diamonds or crystals. Moondancer had even ideas how to construct new devices for communication, in theory. That was exactly her problem... her awoken magic didn't cover the topic ‘magical theory 101’. Or, in her opinion: ‘magical theory for people who had no idea what magic really was and lived in a world without any form of written literature about magic 101’. It was a working title.

How to use magic in the most effective ways, or how to build something without causing more harm than good. The former student of Crystal Prep wouldn't risk it and Sunset needed to verify her ideas, too. There wasn't really a written instruction with the title: ‘How to use magic safely’ Moondancer could use.

In other words, she needed a teacher for theoretical magic. Sunset Shimmer was her best shot after Twilight's words. Moondancer shortly considered to ask Luviel Dawnseeker, but she didn't think that the magic of humans and elves worked in the same ways. So the elf was more a plan B.

Trixie Lulamoon, Lyra Heartstrings, Bon Bon, Octavia Melody, Vinyl Scratch, Derpy, Bulk Biceps, Flash Sentry, Snips and Snails all relaxed, waiting for the meeting to start.

"Oh, I hope the others are coming soon, the whole waiting drives me crazy. I really want know what happened in the last days," Lyra commented excitedly. "What do you think, Bonny?" she asked her best friend.

"We will find out soon, Lyra. Calm yourself," BonBon replied, clearly annoyed. Lyra was on her case since the principals informed them about the, in her opinion long overdue, meeting.

"Trixie thinks it's about time that all secrets are about to be revealed. Trixie des-Trixie meant we deserve to know the truth. And Trixie will not go to Ponyville again just, because a certain someone manages to destroy, however she does that, our equipment to work on the fields in a short time. Right, Derpy?" Trixie glared at the unofficial queen of muffins from CHS.

The girl in question answered in an innocent and apologetic tone, "I just don't know what went wrong." Snips and Snails laughed at Trixie's following expression.

"What do you think, Moony? I heard you are all buddy-buddy with our resident bookworm. Is everything OK between you and Twilight? You once said that you were good friends," Lemon Zest asked with a smiling face.

She, Sugarcoat, Sour Sweet and Indigo Zap sat on small stools to the left of Moondancer and the other students. Not the most comfortable situation, but manageable.

The girls mostly recovered from their fight with the Terrorbeast. Still, Sour Sweet's leg was bandaged after all, but the pain was nearly completely gone. Thanks to Zecora's ointments.

"Yes. We reconnected again and enjoyed to work together, but we faced fastly the problem that our magic only provided us with basic knowledge about our own brand of power, not magic in general. We both have no idea from basic theoretical magic. That's the reason we are waiting for Sunset Shimmer. She is something like our only real local expert," Moondancer answered blushingly.

It didn't happen often that she and Twilight were clueless in the same topic. Like never.

"Don't worry! It will work out for you. We all believe in you!" Lemon encouraged.

"She is right. We could all relax and recover from our little adventure and are ready to take on the next challenge!" Indigo Zap commented supportingly. Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet nodded their heads in agreement.

"D-Do you think Limestone and Pinkie are on their way with the others?" Marble asked shyly her family.

"Of course, Marble. Thine sisters are aiding the last missing team and the Sparkles to reach our location in the moment we speak," Igneous Rock stated firmly.

"I'm sure Pinkie already planned something like a 'Welcome-Back' party and can't wait to make it happen. It would be something she would do. Boulder agrees," Maud joked.

The Pies sat upon old chairs from their own camping equipment, between the former principals and the exotic trio consisting out of Cheerilee, Luviel and Zecora.

The three friends, Luviel and Zecora could talk for hours about nature without a break, much to Cheerilee's dismay, sat upon a large hay bail.

Zecora prepared her next potion out of mojo and scrunched plants. She was truly lucky, too. Their group managed to save in their hush-hush operation everything important, plants, tonics, potions, totems and relocated it all for the shaman to Sweet Apple Acres.

The Apples, may the spirits bless their souls and grant them wisdom, provided her with an old barn she could use as her own place for the time being. It was being used as a bunk for old tools and other outdated things. The farmers decided they didn't need most of it anymore. Moondancer ‘confiscated’ a lot of these items in the ‘name of science’, as she worded it. Well, everyone started small, Zecora guessed.

"Don't play coy with me, Luviel! I know you did it," Cheerilee accused her new friend.

"I swear, Cheery! I never did anything that would have harmed you in any way," the elf replied with a mischievous smile.

"Stop calling me 'Cheery'! You took my coffee! It could only be you. Nobody else was here when we entered the barn and I left only two minutes to refill my water supply! Confess," Cheerilee demanded from her frenemie.

Nobody touched her coffee!

"Alright, I confess. Your cup of coffee was horrible. No sugar, no milk, just mediocre in its preparation and completely black. Which sane person would drink something like that in the first place? I did you a favor and saved you from being poisoned by a bitter tasting insult for the tongue," Luviel justified her heroic deed.

"Let me guess. Oh, yes. It was me who made this 'mediocre prepared' cup. You thief!" came the half-serious reply. This woman made it hard to stay angry at her.

"See? You just proved my point. As I already stated, which 'sane' person would drink something like that? I deserve a medal for sacrificing my well-being here!" Luviel's everlasting smile never left her lips. She loved to tease the former teacher.

Cheerilee took a handful of hay and tossed it at the laughing Emerald Elf's face.

They sat in the circle between the Pie- and the Apple Family, the newly founded Destiny Crusaders chatted excitedly in front of them.

The matriarch sat in her signature rocker. The three crusaders and Big Mac sat upon small chairs

"What are ya youngins' doin'? Ya're more excited than a rooster in a henhouse," Granny Smith enquired curiously..

"It's nothin' important, Granny. Ma' friends and me, we just found out what to do in life. As a team!" Apple Bloom expounded joyfully.

Granny Smith chuckled. "Ah. To be youn' again..." the lady of the house whispered nostalgically.

Winona barked in support of her owner.

The last group between them and the students of Camp Everfree were the Rainbooms. Or at least the half who waited still for the return of their friends, especially Sunset's.

"I hope they are coming soon. The last two days were so boring since, you know." Rainbow Dash yawned.

"Ya could have helped more on the farm instead of nappin’ the whole time, Dash. Ah had to search ya everywhere and only found ya because of lucky guesses and your snores. How in tarnation did ya manage to sleep on clouds?!" Applejack wanted to know in irritation.

"Three reasons. Number one: I'm awesome. Number two: My Heavens Magic makes me kind of resistant against colder temperatures and wind. Number three: Sunset once explained me that Pegasi from her homeworld could move, touch and manipulate clouds, so I got the idea to Pony-up and try it out for myself. It worked and I swear, nothing hits the spot better than a soft, fluffy cloud," Rainbow replied, grinning.

"That doesn't explain why ya didn't work like everyone else!"

"Well, duh! I'm much too awesome for lame and boring stuff like working on a farm. I'm more for a real challenge, so I trained my flying skills and napped in order to kill times until Sunset comes back. You should know that, AJ," Rainbow explained in a sincere tone like she just told her friend that the young Apple's hair was blond.

Stubbornness was one of Applejack trademarks and she would proof it, "Now wait just an apple-pickin' minute! Ah-"

"Calm yourselves, darlings. There is no need to contend with each other. You should celebrate something much more important than 'flying' and 'farming'."

"Hey!" the duo shouted in sync, feeling insulted.

"Like for example the fact that we could finally provide us with NEW CLOTHES! Truly, luck is on our side once again and Ponyville's shopping mile was better equipped than I feared and hoped for. We can go there whenever we want. Well, as long as we act like ruffians and behave like we have no connection to any form of magic that is.... I even found a spa! Some twins with the names of Lotus Blossom and Aloe opened their new business recently and I tried it out, for free no less. It was simply divine!" Rarity informed her friends in maniac glee.

The fashionista already changed her outfit. She wore now a moderate purple skirt with black leggings beneath it, upon the skirt was the picture of her three blue lozenge diamonds. She wore white high heels with a blue diamond per shoe on the tip, the top was sapphire blue and the young magician wore at last now fashionable royal purple fingerless gloves.

"Let me guess, this place is called Fru-Fru-Topia," Rainbow commented dryly. Applejack chuckled.

"Rainbow Dash! That isn't a way for a lady to talk!" Rarity lectured her friend. The chromatic girl groaned, scolding herself for triggering the fashionista's ire.

"I don't like Ponyville's inhabitants, it's a town full of... meanies. There are so many people who are biased and full of hatred for anything magical. Luviel and Zecora could never take a single step into the town without risking their lives and we have to act like we don't like magic, too. I'm so frustrated I could just scream!" She took a deep breath and flutterscreamed.

Only her friends witnessed this ‘outburst’ and they rarely felt such a strong urge before in their life to hug Fluttershy, even Rainbow Dash.

"Darling. That was the most adorable 'scream' I ever heard," Rarity had to confess with a mix of emotions about that.

"Too loud?" Fluttershy enquired in embarrassment. She hid her face behind her hair and hoped that her friends would forgive her for her tantrum.

The shy girl couldn't stand the behaviour of many citizens. Yes, she knew why they felt hatred for everything magical, especially the refugees of Canterlot, but that wasn't an excuse for her to be against everything and everyone connected with magic. It made her sad that the people wouldn't let kindness into their hearts. Fluttershy felt disappointed and their stubborn behaviour made her feel... peeved.

"Ah reckon we'll talk about Ponyville, too," Applejack mused.

Five minutes later, the doors of the barn opened and the last missing team entered the scene, finally.

Sunny Flare immediately ran up to her friends who screamed out of joy and embraced their missed friend/leader. Winona and Spike winced at the used frequency.

Cadance walked up to her aunts and took her seat at the table.

Everyone in the barn watched, amused or confused, when Sunset Shimmer tried to go forward, a wild Pinkie Pie clutched her left leg with force and purpose. Rainbow, Indigo, Applejack, Sunny, Shining, Lemon and, no surprise there, Trixie found it funny and laughed openly.

Sunset facepalmed and had slightly red tinted cheeks, because literally everyone stared at the duo, "Pinkie, please. I already said that I forgive you, again, believe me. Nothing bad happened."

She felt mentally exhausted from her friend's antics in the moment. Pinkie apologized at least 20 times since she showed Sunset her ‘affection’ and caused a change of color in her face for a very short time.

"I found that hilarious. I never thought that Shimmer could come this close to our skin color without magic," Midnight informed her twin with a grin.

"Midnight! That's not funny! Pinkie feels already awful about it as it is," Twilight lectured.

"Hmpf. It's not like they could actually hear me. Besides, you are not mum. Or what do you want to do anyway? Send me to detention? Make me write an essay where I have to describe how bad I was and that 'friendship is ma-based on compassion for others?" The dark angel tried to correct herself. Twilight noticed.

"Wait. Did you just try to stop yourself from saying that friendship is magic?" Twilight laughed mentally. She found it cute.

"Shut up, Sparky! I will never say something pathetically cheesy like that in my entire life! I have higher standards than you! Midnight answered, annoyed.

"Limestone. What happened with Pinkie?" Maud asked in her, for others typical, monotone voice. The girl in question tensed up a little, she knew that voice. It was the ‘Why-is-our-little-sister-sad?’ voice. Limestone heard that voice always when Marble or Pinkie became sad or started to tear up in Marble's case and it happened under Limestone's watch.

Maud took the protection of her younger siblings dead serious. When Pinkie, Twilight and the others recollected shortly the major events to this day for them from their point of view, she could see a cold unholy fury in Maud's eyes when their little sister talked about the plant monster that wanted to eat her. Later after they talked with each other and before they all split up to help on the farm, she and Maud promised their sister to protect Pinks when they were near her from any form of danger.

She rolled slowly her eyes, "Nothing happened, Maud. Pinks just wanted to show her friend here how much she missed her. She hugged Sunset so hard that her color changed in the face to nearly purple. Now Pinkie feels bad about it, that's all there is. The end," Limestone assured.

"Pinkie Pie. What is when we have the party you planned later, after the meeting? I think that would be a nice change of pace. With the Apple Family's blessing of course," Celestia suggested, trying not to chuckle at Sunset's predicament.

"Ah think that's a wonderful idea, dearie. Ah'm sure we could need a little break after them topics you want to talk about," Granny Smith agreed.

"Eeyup," Big Mac shared his wisdom.

This promise worked like a charm, Pinkie released her friend's leg and smiled over both ears. "Wuhu! Finally we can party!" Her great amount of joy earned a few chuckles.

"Thanks, Ms. Celestia," Sunset said.

"I think you are celebrating too early," Sunny said from her spot.

"What are you-Waah!" The Phoenix Magic user knew she forgot something important. First she was tackled by Pinkie, then by Twilight, but there were still the others. Well, at least they buried her under a pile of bodies all at once... ok that sounded kind of dark.

"We missed you so much, Darling!" Rarity started happily with wet eyes.

"Sugarcube, ya've to tell us what stopped ya so lon'," Applejack spoke as the second.

"I'm sure you were all awesome. Even if that is hard to accomplish without me," Rainbow joked and polished her ego at the same time.

"Oh, I hope everyone is OK. The other students, too. I didn't see them until now. Where are they?" Fluttershy asked innocently.

The question gave Shining, Sunny and Sunset a bad taste in their mouths. The bitter taste of defeat.

The former principals already feared this possibility since the three missed students didn't return with them. Luna tried to rescue the situation for the time being. "I think we should start the meeting. Please, sit down and let us begin."

Limestone sat with her family. The Sparkles with the Pies after Cloudy Quartz and Igneous Rock proposed to sit with them, because they had more than enough place.

The Rainbooms sat at their original spot, all together once more after everything what happened. The seven friends couldn't be happier about this fact.

Celestia cleared her throat and opened the meeting. "Alright everyone. I think we all know why we are here. The last two days were filled with a lot of surprises for us. I think we should start with introducing us and show, if that is the case, our magic for everyone to see. We are all in the same boat and getting to know each other better can’t do any harm. I will start".

The magician walked into the center of the person made circle. "My name is Celestia, or Ms. Celestia if you wish to be formal and I have Solar Magic at my disposal. It means I can control sunlight to a certain degree and use fire- and light magic based abilities. My spells can be used, after my choosing, in a composition of fire- and light magic." She summoned her armor, sword and shield and let two spheres of her sunlight-like magic fly around her. The demonstration ended and she transformed back.

"So cool!" Snip and Snails exclaimed with stars in their eyes. The rest who didn't see the former principal in action until now were similarly impressed.

Sunset reminded it much at her former mentor, buried feelings of guilt stirred, she sighed.

After this pattern, it would go for the round of introductions.

Luna's transformation caused awe like her sister's, especially her explanation of her ability to feel dreams and nightmares and to possibly influence them, she never tried it out, caused for astonished whispering.

Rainbow Dash seemed to have dirty thoughts about this ability, because Applejack blushed after her rival in spirit whispered something into her ear on this topic.

Cadance was next. Shining, Sunset and Celestia were very interested in her ability to fight darkness itself with her White Magic. Lemon asked herself if the woman's White Magic would work in an equal manner against her Shadow Magic.

Shining Armor's demonstration of Paladin Magic led to being embarrassed by his mother, much to his shame.

"Oh Shiny! You always wanted to be Cadance's knight, now you even have a fitting magic to realise that dream." Velvet said that without an ounce of hidden mean bone. She meant it and was sincerely happy for her son.

Of course, most had a good chuckle or sometimes even a laugh at his expense.

"Mom, why..." he muttered to himself. His dad patted him reassuringly on the shoulder.

Twilight Velvet, Night Light, Igneous Rock, Cloudy Quartz, Marble, Pinkie Pie, Cheerilee, the Destiny Crusaders and the other students of CHS introduced themselves normally. Pinkie wanted to sing a song to introduce herself, she had to be stopped. Much to her dismay.). They had no magic of their own to show.

The next was Zecora. She explained her connection to the spirits of earth, fire, water and wind and that mojo was basically the troll equivalent to magic. Furthermore that she was an expert in making potions and tonics with herbs. Fluttershy, Applebloom and Marble were the most interested individuals. Luviel already knew about it after a long conversations with the shaman.

The Emerald Elf introduced herself in a manner the others, who met her before in Ponyville, never heard before, because she mentioned now for the first time the name of her kingdom and what her position in her society was.

"I wish you all a good evening and may Elandrial guide your path and grant you her blessing. Before you ask, Elandrial is the Goddess of Nature in the culture of us Emerald Elves. But I digress, my name is Luviel Dawnseeker, I hail from the proud kingdom known as Ashall and my position is what we call a 'Mana Weaver'. Mana Weavers are able to feel disturbances in so called 'Aether Veins', they are distributed over this entire world, invisible for most beings in existence and provide Terra with an endless and regenerating source of magic, no matter how strong a casted spell is and what magic would be used.

I came to the USA, because I felt since my earliest studies two great disturbances and I just had to investigate them. One seems to be located in the widths of the Celestial Sea and the second has its epicenter in this region here. Somewhere in Canterlot City or around the area, I presume." Her eyes softened significantly and she lightly bowed her head in respect, “From what I understood and was explained to me from Luna and Cheerilee, the city was burned down to the ground by beings of fire. You have my deepest condolence.”

The former principals and the Rainbooms glanced shortly at each other. Sunset Shimmer was greatly worried about that piece of information.

And still. Twilight, Moondancer and Sunset wrote the whole time notes in a nearly unnatural speed to keep up with all the new informations they received. The redhead borrowed paper and pencil from the always prepared Twilight. Her pencil nearly broke from used pressure because of the shock when she heard that Luviel specifically looked for the portal to Equestria.

The elf crossed her arms thoughtfully, her eyes roaming over the former citizens of Canterlot, "But that is not all, we Emerald Elves felt that not only magic of our own realm supplied this world, but another source of magic from another plane entirely, too. Do you know anything about it by chance?"

Celestia wanted to say something, but Sunset was faster. "Yes. I know what this 'disturbance' is, but I hoped I could keep it a secret. Well, if it even still stands that is. I can tell you about it later when I introduce myself, alright?" Everyone looked at her, some knowingly, the rest just very confused.

Luviel sighed in slight disappointment, "Very well." She accepted the girl's idea.

Limestone raised her hand next. "I am Limestone Pie and I have Warden Magic. As the name maybe suggests it a little, I'm able to support others with spells, like for example granting them for a short time extra speed, agility, strength and other things or protect them with my mostly defensive skills. I have offensive abilities, too, but not much. My strongest ability is called: The Warden's Last Stand." She sounded very proud of her mentioned ability.

"What can that do, Limey? Huh? Huh? Huh?" Pinkie wanted to know. Her sister didn't talk about this ability of hers until this point.

"Calm down, Pinks. It drains me of my entire magic reservoirs and I'll most likely not be able to move after the use of this spell for a while, so it's kind of like a last option thing. It fills my body with the undying will to protect and preserve and grants me seven seconds immunity against nearly everything from what I understand. Of course I have no idea if there are things in the world who could ignore the spell, but in normal cases, magical and physical harm can't damage my body in the timeframe of these seven seconds. I could run through the fire breath of some dragon with my ability on and won't be burned alive for that short time," Maud expounded smugly.

Not only a few jaws dropped at the description of such an ability. Some were a little jealous right now, but in general, everyone was impressed.

"Wow. I didn't think that such a powerful spell existed. Even if only for a few seconds, pretty impressive, still." Cadance had to admit. Many could just nod their head at her statement.

"Hi. My name is Maud Pie-" A few chuckles were heard. Many didn't talk with the young woman until now and didn't expect her to sound this... emotional. "-I can use Stone Magic. Watch." Maud opened a small fissure on the ground and let thorns of rock shout out of the ground in high speed, before she let them retreat back into the ground and closed the holes on this way, crudely.

It looked like nothing happened. Except the destroyed deck boards from her little display. The Apples were highly displeased and Igneous looked like he was shortly before a seizure. But before he could demand an explanation from his, normally well-mannered, daughter, she said: "Don't worry. I will fix that," Maud promised.

The eldest of the four sisters let more stones come out of the ground out of the already created holes and levitated them to her, they were encased in a light grey aura of magic. Suddenly, like with the sharpest knife, the stones were cut in exactly the size and shape of slabs and put perfectly into the formerly created holes.

"Well, color me brown and call me a horse. That's some fine work. Ah’m mighty impressed," Granny Smith complimented.

"Humans and their equine-related idioms," Sunset whispered, shaking her head in defeat. Only her friends heard her and chuckled, Applejack looked a little sheepish.

Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Sugarcoat, Applejack, Indigo Zap and Sunny Flare received a lot of cheers and positive words of admiration for their abilities.

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo discussed quietly with each other how they could use these demonstrations to find their own special talents in magic.

Fluttershy's magic was proclaimed as the ‘most beautiful’ magic by Luviel and Zecora. Such sincere compliments made her feel warm, happy and nervous at the same time. She just thanked them in a low voice in the end.

But when Trixie saw how Sugarcoat could use Illusion Magic, she knew that she just found her personal arch nemesis. It was always her dream to be a stage magician and now this... fiend... could use a brand of magic that should be owned by the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie!

Twilight showed her Arcane Magic in form of her Arcane Spheres and the portal that brought her team back to the farm. Everyone was happy about this ability, because that would mean that Twilight could open portals to venture between two points with others.

"Ms. Sparkle. This ability of yours can help us greatly in the future," Luna commented approvingly.

"Thanks, Ms. Luna," the teenager replied humbly.

"That ability is only possible because of me and everyone gives you the credit for it! That is like plagiarism on a deeper level, because we are in the same body. As your conscious, I will make you feel bad about it as your punishment!" Midnight cackled madly.

"What?! You know as well as I do that we can't tell the others about you! They would just see you as something evil and try to erase you on some way. So could you please not do that?" Twilight gave her twin imagined puppy dog eyes.

"Oh no!" Midnight started with fake-fear. "You found my only weakness, puppy dog eyes! What can I do now? What could save me from my increasing level of guilt?! Oh, wait. I know the answer. I just don't care." She cackled anew like a maniac.

But Twilight could have sworn, from the smile she saw in her mind, that this was possibly Midnight's way of showing affection. So that meant that her twin was annoying people she liked? Who knew.

The magician locked eyes with Sunset Shimmer, who gave her a look that clearly promised a talk in private. She was onto them! OK, maybe she just noticed that the portals were made out of the same colored magic Midnight used. The dark angel agreed.

Sour Sweet just talked about her Emotion Magic, but she didn't want to show it because of the effects they could cause. Pinkie volunteered instantly and said that she always wanted to ‘feel silly’. Her parents and siblings weren't sure if they should allow it but decided to trust her judgement.

"Ok, Pinkie. Prepare yourself!" Sour's eyes changed from their original moderate indigo to white and she shot a beam of magic, in the same color, into Pinkie's chest. The girl didn't react at first, but suddenly her hair went flat, Rarity said that her hair was beautiful in this way and gave her many ideas to work with, her skin became a darker shade of grey pink and she hid herself behind Maud.

"What did you do with our sister?!" Limestone demanded to know.

She held up her hands in a surrendering motion. "There is nothing to worry about. This is was what I explained earlier that I can let my enemies feel a lot of different states of emotions, depending on the color of my eyes. The white beam represents 'Fear' and will stop soon, trust me. I have the following states of mind I can choose in between:'Red' means 'Anger', 'Green' is 'Greed', 'Dark blue' means 'Calmness'. 'Yellow' represents 'Despair', 'Pink' is 'Tension', 'Purple' means 'Confusion' and 'Brown' represents 'Happiness'. Maybe I can discover more in time, but that's what I have until now," Sour Sweet finished her explanation.

"That was fun!" Pinkie declared happily after the spell lost its temporal power.

"What are you talking about? You were all Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

The pink-haired girl in question looked with annoyance at her childhood friend, feeling a little insulted.

"I know! I was like Fluttermarble! Or was it Marbleshy? Anyway, I knew for myself the whole time that something was wrong and that I wasn't all sad and frowny for real, but I couldn't do ANYTHING to change what I felt. Oh! Oh! Soury, your magic would be the hit in a party game!" the hyperactive party lover expounded excitedly.

"Uh, thanks?" Sour Sweet wasn't sure how to react to that plan.

"BonBon! Do you know what that means?! You can finally party and have fun, too. You just need to get shoot with a few missiles of happiness! And that all without drugs!" Lyra shouted excitedly.

"W-what?! No!" BonBon replied angrily. She could have fun without getting shot by mind-influencing magic, thank you very much!

Celestia coughed. "I think we should proceed," she stated with an amused smile of her own at the discussions and interesting ideas around Sour's magic.

"Only Moondancer, Lemon and Sunset are left," Sugarcoat helped out.

"Oh! Me next! I'm Lemon Zest and I have... well, magic that could be seen as 'special'..." Lemon started unsurely.

Except her friends and Zecora, nobody knew about her magic, she never told anyone else. The troll shaman suggested to keep quiet about it until the meeting to explain everything before misunderstandings could happen.

"Don't worry, Lemon! We got your back!" Indigo proclaimed determinedly.

Sugarcoat, Sour and Sunny, even though she didn't have a single clue what they were even talking about, supported their friend’s statement.

"Indeed. I would like to warn all present. Our young friend has a very unique form of magic. Some would even call it 'Dark Magic', but it isn't. So keep an open mind and don't act without thinking first. Otherwise you will have to face me," Zecora warned darkly. It sent chills down the spines of the most. Luna, Celestia and Sunset were even more interested now what kind of magic Lemon had.

"My magic is called Shadow Magic." Lemon stated fatefully.

She summoned four black walls, made of darkness, around her just in case and a Shadow Lance in her right hand.

"Eep!" screamed Fluttershy and Marble in fear at the same time and hid themselves behind Sunset and Maud.

"I can feel it... it is truly magic, consisting out of the element of Darkness, but I don't feel any kind of corruption or evil intent," Luviel voiced her opinion thoughtfully.

She could feel the ‘imprint’ used magic caused as an Emerald Elf, nefarious intentions made this imprint stronger and easier to find. There was nearly none. This ‘Shadow Magic’ was harmless, Luviel concluded in her mind.

"That is amazing! I only read about stories where someone who used that kind of magic was always insane, corrupted or had the intent to conquer and destroy. You must be the first user of this kind of magic who isn't insane in some way or was overpowered by the magic itself," Sunset marveled at Lemon.

She knew how Dark Magic felt like from her time as a she-demon and Luviel was right. Yes, Lemon's magic emitted an own aura, but it was just calm, waiting. Not wild, untamed and ready to corrupt and destroy everything like it was the case with the tainted magic the tiara granted her at the Fall Formal. When she put the Element of Magic upon her head the magic decided that she was unworthy to wield its true power and corrupted her instead. It burned the former Unicorn, quite literally in some way.

Sunset remembered the pain, how she was kicked out of her body own body, trapped behind the very magic she sought. Not able to communicate with the world any longer. Only her ‘demon’, her awoken and incarnated desires, ambitions and dreams developed an own existence and were in charge of her body. Yes... the pain was unbearable, she just wanted it to stop.

Luckily, Princess Twilight and her friends managed to safe her from herself at that time.

No. Lemon Zest wasn't evil in the slightest, she had control over her darkness, it seemed. Her Shadow Magic wasn't nefarious from what Sunset could judge. Everything was fine.

"I believe you. Luviel is right, your magic feels calm, tamed and not foul or dark like it tried to consume its enemies, the wielder himself and everything around it. You have a very rare form of magic at your disposal, Lemon. But that is all, nothing I would label as 'evil'," Sunset said confidently.

"A-are you s-sure, Sunset?" Fluttershy asked from behind her back.

The magician nodded her head in confirmation. That calmed her friend down, she would trust in Sunset's judgement, it eased the situation for their friends and the remaining people, too.

"Hm. When Ms. Dawn-I mean Luviel and Sunset both say that your magic is fine, Ms. Zest, and there is nothing to worry about, then I will happily follow their judgement," Luna agreed, still a little cautious.

"I agree," Celestia supported with a warm smile in the young girl's direction.

Some were still worried, but they all thought it would be better to trust into the opinions of the two persons who seemed to have the most experience in the field of magic.

It was Moondancer's turn.

"Well, my name is Moondancer and I have Constructor Magic, it means I know how to create magi-tech, sort of, and how my magic and specific resources interact with each other. The problem is I have maybe an crude idea how to create new communication devices, but there is one problem. My magic never covered the basics of magical theory. So I think that my magic is more something like a pioneer field, because it has to do with things, which are partly very complicated in their creation, but need obviously the basics to be crafted and later be used in the correct way. Our world has of course not any kind of literature in that regard after such a short time since the changes began." Moondancer looked at Sunset. "Can you help me there, Sunset? I know of your... heritage and that you have the most life experiences with magic in general. So, uh, I wanted to ask you if you could help me? Please?" she queried hopefully..

"That would be amazing! I tried to help Moony, but I never could do anything, because I have no idea of magical theory either. I only know how to use Arcane Magic, but that works mostly on instinct and with careful training. We could write the first book about magic on Earth! A research paper! Oh, that's so exciting!" Twilight looked around herself and saw how everyone looked at her in boredom,vin Rainbow Dash's and Scootaloo's case, interest or amusement at her antics.

"Twily, you are adorkable like always," Cadance said to her Ladybug, holding back her laugher. Twilight groaned.

"Egghead stuff..." Rainbow Dash muttered to herself.

Sunset hit her with her elbow and voiced her own thoughts, "Well. I do see and feel a lot of similarities between magic of humans and Unicorns. For example that our foci are more the hands in most cases and a Unicorn has to use the horn as said focus and we have similar states of magical exhaustion, just to count two examples. Yes, I will help you Moondancer," Sunset replied smilingly to her fellow scholar.

"Thank you! Thank you! Finally, I can start to actually use my magic then." Moondancer couldn't wait to start.

"I think some us are a little confused right now, girl. Did you just say 'magic of humans and Unicorns'?" Luviel enquired completely lost.

Sunset breathed deeply in and out. Now it was time to be open with everyone, they deserved it. But still, Sunset hoped that it would end well for her and Equestria. She didn't want to risk anything. For that matter, she should write Princess Twilight about everything what transpired. The magical diary was in the room she got when they first reached Sweet Apple Acres and it remained there untouched for the entire duration of their stay until now. There were enough reasons why she had never any time to write, one situation hunted the next, but Twilight needed to know about it, too. When Luviel felt the portal, then there was a chance that others could, too and surely not everyone had friendly intentions, Sunset was sure of that.

"I think there is no point in prolonging it any longer. Please bear with me, because what I'm about to tell you will sound insane, but it's the honest truth. It will explain what kind of disturbance you felt, Ms. Luviel," the Phoenix Magic user began.

"Only Luviel please and it's fine. I will listen to your tale, Sunset Shimmer," the Emerald Elf assured with a warm and calming smile.

"Ok, here it goes..."

Sunset explained everything from the very beginning. That she was born as a Unicorn in the lands of Equestria on the world Equus, she told and explained everything she knew about the Pony tribes, even the Thestrali and then there were the Alicorns. She didn't tell any names yet, only what they were as a race, proclaimed princesses as a combination of the Pony tribes.

Afterwards she explained her downfall of how she was the prized pupil of the ruler of Equestria and the most promising Unicorn in her time. How she started to demand things and saw herself as superior to others because of her natural talent for magic itself, what was very, very rare, even for a Unicorn and how Sunset demanded to be made a princess from her teacher.

"I-I had everything! And I bucked it up like a stupid little filly, because I demanded to be a princess! I proclaimed that I deserved it, that it was my right to rule besides my teacher as her equal, maybe even her superior. I was completely blinded by my own ambitions," Sunset said with a teary voice. Fluttershy hugged her.

"I see... so how were you able to reach Terra from your world?" Luviel asked in a soothing voice. She saw that this young gi-mare was in pain, haunted by her past.

Sunset told them all about the magical mirror and how that just strengthened her resolve to become a princess, because the mirror showed her as an Alicorn, a princess in her own right. Her teacher told her that the mirror showed the potential future of Ponies who looked into it, but when she asked more about the mirror, her mentor told her off. Worse, piece for piece, the princess started to spend less and less time with Sunset and said that she wouldn't be ready for the next step in her studies as long as she didn't try to make friends, to be social with others of her age.

Sunset explained that she visited the forbidden section in the royal library and read books about the darker arts of magic, ‘Dark Magic’ as it was labeled and that she was caught one day by her mentor who in this moment decided to dismiss her as the ruler's personal student. The Unicorn couldn't accept that, she couldn't accept that her former mentor dared to take away her future, her destiny to become a princess.

That the princess refused to tell her anything about the mirror since the day she showed it Sunset was just more reason for her to work alone. It proved to her former self that she could solely count on herself to achieve her goals, nopony else.

In the moment Sunset used the word ‘nopony’ she received strange looks and had to explain ponyisms to some degree. Fluttershy, Sunny, since the Camp at White Tails, Cheerilee, Sweetie Belle, Rarity and Cadance found it adorable that Ponies used such words at all.

It was a breaking point. She didn't know what the mirror really was nor where it would lead, the only information Sunset had at that time was that the mirror connected Equestria with another world every 30 moons for three days. In the moment she was caught she knew that the mirror was active, one of the very few fruits of her forbidden research. Sunset told them how she ran away from her guards after she attacked them and jumped through the mirror, reaching a new world. Earth.

"Wait! You just jumped through some magical mirror without even knowing what awaited you? You couldn't even be sure if the portal connected to a safe place and not some world where you would die or to a dark abyss or whatever else could exist!" Octavia pointed out.

"What can I say? I didn't care at that time. I was convinced that I would find my true destiny and get closer to the goal to become a princess in the other world and jumped through it," Sunset admitted, embarrassed.

That earned her a few shaking heads.

"What was the name of this princess? You told me some basics about Equestria after the Fall Formal when we had a long overdue talk about your life, but not much in general and it was never my place nor my interest to force you to say more about your homeworld like you were my prisoner.Still, your records were always bothering me and didn't add up. Most details were hazy at best, but I thought the authorities were informed and knew why. So I let the matter rest But now we need to know everything in order to see the greater picture and potentially understand what happened and why. Solely in that way we can come to an informed and well thought out conclusion." Celestia clarified her point of view.

"Agreed," Zecora supported. Most of all those present signaled the same opinion

Of course that question about the identity of her former mentor had to come from Celestia of all people, much to Sunset's frustration. She had hoped she could slowly led them all to the revelation of a parallel world and that some people here had immortal, celestial body moving, princesses as counterparts.

It just opened an entirely new can of worms. Or more, to use another human phrase, it would open Pandora's box. Sunset sighed in fateful acceptance. How would they react? How would especially Luna react when she knew that her Equestrian counterpart had the past of an insane megalomaniac who wanted nothing more than to bring eternal night over the world and force the inhabitants of Equestria to appreciate her night?

What would have led on that matter to a frozen world without any sunlight. Plants like animals needed the sun to live. It wondered the young woman that Nightmare Moon never thought about the fact that her greatest wish would have led to the death for everypony in the long run.

Nothing against the hard past of Princess Luna, but when Sunset thought about it, it sounded kind of like a tantrum of a foal, though she could relate with her own past very well and that you didn't really think when you were thinking you were wronged was no secret for her.

"You are right, but you won't like everything you'll hear and what I have to tell you.” Sunset shook her head in resignation, “To make you understand everything I have to explain to you one of the most famous tales of equestrian history. Most of it started with an old mare's tale. The tale of the 'Mare in the Moon'."

Sunset started with telling everyone the basics of the tale. How there were once two Alicorn sisters and how the older sister raised the sun and brought the day, whereas the younger one raised the moon and brought the night. Both ruled in harmony for a long time as co-ruler over Equestria and protected the Ponies, their beloved subjects-

"Ha! Are you kidding? You want Trixie to believe such an impossibility?" Trixie enquired mockingly.

The Unicorn-turned-human gave the teenager a deadpan, “Trixie, I don't care if you choose to believe me or not. It's just how it works on my homeworld. I know that Earth moves around the sun and the moon around Terra what causes day and night to occur here. However, on Equus the sun and moon have to be raised and lowered to create an alternation of day and night," Sunset replied dryly.

"I have the impression you speak the truth. Are these sisters real gods?" Zecora asked sincerely interested.

"Not really like most of you would imagine. No, they are not ‘gods’ in the sense most people on this world view one. They are not omnipotent, nor are they much different from other Ponies. They are immortal, yes, but besides that and their powers, they eat, sleep, laugh, cry, have hobbies, quirks and behave much like normal mortals. Obviously, they are in very many situations wiser than most because of their long lives and the experiences they made in them. They were and are to this very day loved and partly even worshipped by the population. The princesses can share their experiences in order to support their subjects," Sunset expounded clarifying.

"I think that would answer the questions most of us had in mind for now. Go ahead, Sunset," Celestia encouraged.

The former Unicorn proceeded, embellishing the tale a little bit out with informations she knew to give her listeners a better understanding of the context, because the original didn't explain very much. Only the basics of how the Mare in the Moon came to be in a shortened and simplified version.

She told everyone about the germinating jealousy of the younger sister on the Sun Princess and her growing resentment over the years, because the Ponies of Equestria started to see the night more and more as something dark and dangerous to be feared because of the unknown that lurked in the shadows of the night and instead solely adored and valued the older princess who brought the day. It affected her mind in a negative way.

Sunset explained how the Princess of the Night pleaded at one point to let the moon only be a while longer on the horizon so that their subjects could see the true beauty of her moon, but the older sister refused every single request of such nature. Worse, she ignored her sister's growing tendencies to be more isolated or that aforementioned sibling sometimes didn't even open the Night Court. It wasn't a loss for the Ponies either, because nopony came and visited the court during the night anyway. The elder ruler just dismissed everything as a ‘childish phase’ that would be over soon enough.

The Phoenix Magic user informed them that the Alicorn of the Sun never forgave herself for what happened afterwards and made herself responsible in the end for the upcoming events, because she didn't listen or completely dismissed her little sister's plight. She had basked so much in the adoration of her Ponies, the foolishness of a young mare. The fame she received had turned her head, so that she was blind to the truth right in front of her very eyes. Or like this was it once explained to her from Princess Celestia herself.

“When being over 4000 years old to that time could be considered young", Sunset thought ironically.

The younger sibling meddled with dark arts and fell prey to the Nightmare Forces. It corrupted her absolutely in the end and twisted her very being. She couldn't even accept it anymore in this state of mind that the most Ponies of Equestria slept during the night, as it was in their nature, or that their world needed the sun to make living on it possible. Nightmare Moon was born.

A great battle followed between the siblings. The bringer of the night declared that there could only be one true princess and that solely one of them shall rule over Equestria. So she challenged her big sister for the throne. Most parts of the castle were destroyed in process during the confrontation and many innocent lives were lost in the crossfire, because two powerful Alicorns clashed.

The older sister didn't want to hurt her only family too badly, she held back. An almost deadly mistake from her side. The corrupted Nightmare Moon knew no such restrictions and assaulted her sibling without any mercy or remorse. Severely injured, the elder princess forced her will upon a mighty weapon of their kingdom, that was normally only used to defend, never to attack. Six magical artifacts that could normally never be used from one being alone, because one had to embody a special virtue to use the representing artifact. Furthermore, the Element Bearer had to be connected through bounds of friendship with other wielders in order to have access to the Elements' full potential.

Laugher, honesty, loyalty, generosity, kindness and magic, the Elements of Harmony. In sheer desperation, the princess of the sun had to abuse the elements and overpowered them with her will and magic to banish Nightmare into the Moon for the next 1000 years to safe Equestria from a gruesome fate. As penalty for what she did, the elements punished the mare and cut off their link with the older sister, permanently.

But nothing could be a worse punishment than to know that she was responsible for banishing her own sister for the next 1000 years into the very moon her sibling loved and held dearly. The legend of the Mare in the Moon was created.

Everyone was fascinated by the story, even Trixie who tried to look unimpressed, without success, but a few snickers were heard. For example when Sunset used ponyisms like ‘anypony’ or ‘everypony’ or when she illuminated the concept of the Elements of Harmony and how they essentially worked. Moreover the magician explained what they could do, in what kind of situations they were used and where the Elements were coming from.

For obvious reasons she didn't tell anything about the effects they had on herself and how they had influenced her.

In the moment Sunset mentioned the name of Nightmare Moon, she looked briefly at the human versions of the princesses of Equestria and noticed, to her great confusion, that they looked deeply shocked in her direction. Did the name 'Nightmare Moon' mean something to them? How was that possible? She was sure that the former vice-principal couldn't have had any magic related incidents like her counterpart, so why?

Limestone worded her opinion in her own way unique way. "So let me get this straight. You Ponies have six magical artifacts from some mysterious magical crystal tree which represent some virtues and they shoot a literal 'beam of friendship' at every opponent the bearers see as a threat? And these 'Elements of Harmony' can 'purify', 'banish', or 'turn to stone' even the most strongest and evil beings or safe someone from any form of corruption?" she asked with a twitching eye.

"Uh, yes?" Sunset replied unsurely.

"Are you kidding me?! These 'Elements' sound like some deus ex machina tools straight out of a cartoon! I mean, come on! You seriously wanna tell me that you Ponies just shoot with friendship around you when something dangerous happens to save the day? Every time? I call shenanigans!" Limestone exclaimed, annoyed.

The girl wasn't angry about it per say, but she rarely heard anything more ridiculous in her life.

"I must confess, I wouldn't use Limestone's choice of words, but that kind of 'problem solving' does sound a little like something you would only know from a saturday morning show for children," Velvet commented with a polite smile. Some people nodded their heads in support for the former speakers.

Shining laughed at his mother's opinion and told his own. "From what I heard about you Ponies and now these Elements you sound like cute-looking, friendship-loving critters straight out of a little girl's dream. Next you are telling us that you like it to break out into random musical numbers," he joked.

"Is Shining serious? We witnessed more musical numbers since the Friendship Games than in all of our years before combined. Even you do that on occasions, Sparky," Midnight said with a deadpan.

Twilight chuckled quietly, embarrassed, it was true.

Sunset refused to answer, having slightly red cheeks, because it hit much too close to home and thought defensively, "Are you serious? Here on the human world people break out into 'random musical numbers', too. Even Cinch had one at the end of the Friendship Games for Celestia's sake! And she's more the exact opposite of someone who would like such things... But the girl didn't want to argue this topic openly anyway, it wasn't important.

Then again, it wouldn't really surprise her when Cinch had made a specific rule at Crystal Prep that said something like: "The creation of a flash mob and other kinds of musical numbers are forbidden!"

The magician continued for all to hear. "What you forget is that emotions and even virtues play an important role, too and are partly responsible for how effective spells play out in the end. They are a part of magic. For example people who are corrupted by magic gain strength by fueling their spells with fear and hatred. That being said, in Equestria 'love' and 'friendship' are indeed literal useable forces which can be harnessed in forms of magic," Sunset answered calmly.

"Sunset is right. My magic works similar. My emotions for others, mostly my love for everyone dear to me, can fuel my White Magic with more energy if necessary and strengthen my spells," Cadence supported the young magician after she awoke from her shocked state.

She didn't expected that her aunty's old guild name or at least a part of it would be connected in Sunset's world to such a dark event.

"Indeed. I saw more than enough situations where the tides of battle were turned in the last moment because of faith, determination, compassion, loyalty, love or other emotions and displays of strong character traits. Raw power alone is not always a guarantor for winning a fight of magic. Victories from the brink of defeat can definitely occur if your conviction is strong enough to defy the odds," Luviel agreed, nodding.

He chuckled in embarrassment, “Guess you are right. I'm sorry for joking about your people in such a manner, Sunset," Shining Armor apologized. The girl smiled in acknowledgement.

"It's fine. I know that Ponies act much more dovish than most. Let's just move on," Sunset assured kindly.

"Besides, we used our own Elements from what I understood from our local eggheads in several situations to Pony-up and saved the day. I think that our bond with each other was able in the past to generate such power was extremely awesome in its own right. We totally kicked the Siren's butts and saved Camp Everfree!" Rainbow Dash informed energetically, trying to sound optimistic although the co-directors of the camp were found dead in the chimera's cave.

This time she remembered to not mention Sunset’s and Twilight's ‘episodes’. The Rainbooms, Spike, the other students from the Camp and the former principals of CHS smiled in agreement. Even if very unconvincing. They were thinking about what Sunset said, still.

Zecora, Cheerilee, Luviel and the Shadowbolts winced strongly at that statement, Lemon and Cheerilee looked down sadly. They still had to inform everyone in progress of this meeting about everything that transpired in Ponyville and Camp Everfree. Most importantly, about the Adepts of Khom and what they did there.

"You said these Alicorn princesses were immortal and that your former mentor would be a princess, too. So... is this Princess of the Sun the mentioned ruler you studied under?" Twilight asked. She didn't know who the former mentor was, like the rest of the girls, yet.

Sunset nodded sadly and a little ashamed, what she hoped nobody noticed, "Yes, she had to banish her little sister to the moon for 1000 years, but a few years ago she returned on the longest day of the thousandth year at the 1000th summer solstice, like it was predicted in the old mare's tale. Six mares worked together, proved themselves worthy this day and could awake the slumbering Elements of Harmony as a result. They ventured into the Equestrian version of the Everfree Forest, overcame all challenges and became the new bearers in the ancient Castle of the Two Sisters-"

"Why 'ancient Castle of the Two Sisters'? Did this princess leave her former home or what?" Sugarcoat interrupted neutrally.

"Yes, after she banished her sister Cel-the princess grieved about the loss of her sibling and decided to leave their former castle because of the bad memories connected to this place, especially the banishment of Nightmare Moon. Her former home in the Everfree Forest was abandoned and the Ponies raised the new capital of Equestria in the center of the kingdom... Canterlot. The seat of power to this day," Sunset replied, preparing herself for the incoming awkwardness.

Everyone, who didn't know about the parallel world situation which Equus and Terra shared, gave Sunset lost stares like she was crazy. She ignored it masterfully.

"There is something else I don't understand, Darling. When the Elements of Harmony were so important for Equestria, why did your ruler leave them behind in her old castle in the first place? Was she never worried that someone or should I say somepony-" Sunset pouted adorably. "-could steal the artifacts so that they would be lost for your society? I'm just not sure, wouldn't it have been much more intelligent to take them with her, instead of leaving them behind to collect dust in the next 1000 years in a dangerous muddy forest? She wasn't able to use them anymore, that I understand, but couldn't she have hidden them somewhere in Canterlot and wait until new potential Element Bearers came around?" Rarity commented in wonder.

It felt like a hole of logic for her, as a fan of good romance- and romance detective books, she couldn't ignore such an obvious faux pas from the princess. Did she cast protection spells to make them theft proofed? Didn't she want to see the Elements anymore, because they reminded her too much at her lost sister? The tragedy!

Instead of Sunset, Celestia answered this time, "I think the reason why the princess did that was, because, as Sunset explained, the new bearers of the Elements had to prove themselves worthy first of the very virtue they could potentially represent. Said princess left the Elements behind to ensure for one that nobody knew about them. 1000 years are a long time, I'm sure, like Nightmare Moon, the Elements were reduced in their importance and solely mentioned as a tale, nothing more. The princess left the Elements alone in the castle on purpose without telling any of her subjects about it to ensure that, as you already mentioned, Rarity, nobody would get the idea to steal them for selfish reasons. What was the risk if everyone knew about the Elements whereabouts. Furthermore, there was another hazard. By keeping the very artifacts close to her, which posed the greatest threat to the ruler's little sister, she risked the lives of her subjects on this way once more, like it happened in their first battle prior. A fight in the city would have started, with unknown consequences. So with keeping the Elements of Harmony far away from any civilization, deep in the Everfree Forest, she could make sure that no innocent lives would be endangered when Nightmare Moon returns, at least for the time being."

Celestia locked eyes with the former Unicorn, a very unreadable smile graced her face. It made Sunset nervous, because she noticed how the solar knight emphasized some words, like she already had an idea about who Sunet was talking about and just waited patiently, in a typical Celestia manne, for her to come forward to spell it out. "Am I correct with my assumptions, Sunset? I mean I could imagine that could be something I would do in her situation," she finished, having the unsettling smile, still.

Worries confirmed.

"I-I think? I never asked why she did what she did and I don't think other Ponies have, either. I guess everypony just believed in her and that the princess knew what she was doing," Sunset replied blushingly, because she felt stupid that she never asked Princess Celestia nor Princess Twilight these questions.

No giggles this time because of her speech pattern, good.

"I still have problems to imagine you as a Unicorn Pony with a more human-like face. I have to admit everything you told us of your society until now sounds so... wondrously," BonBon confessed.

"The whole world goes down the drain and your worldview is shattered by being informed about the existence of another world with colorful magical talking ponies? Your priorities are amazing, girl. Which sane person would worry about deadly predators or fire elementals, if the danger of cute looking equines is knocking on the door, right?" Sour Sweet commented in amusement. BonBon grumbled and Lyra pat her best friend on the back as a sign of condolence.

"Soury is right! It could be much worse, right Flash?" Pinkie asked the blue-haired teenager with a big grin.

"W-What are you talking about, Pinkie?" Flash asked, baffled.

"I mean, duh! You were first together with Shimmy, who is in fact a Unicorn and broke up with her later on, because she was a MeanMoodyPants, having her special days 24/7 before the Fall Formal-"

"Hey!" Sunset exclaimed with glowing cheeks.

"-Then you got the hots for Pony Twi, who is always in Equestria, obviously. So you fell two times for Ponies, but never for a human. You must have the worst luck in existence, or that is all planned and your kink. No judging. I mean maaaaybe you like it exotic and ‘wild’.” Pinkie laughed, “Get it? Because they are actual Ponies and-"

"OK, OK, I get it! Sunset gave me already the advice at Camp Everfree that I should forget the other Twilight. I guess it just never got through to me or I didn't want to accept it that she was actually a Pony Princess from another world," Flash explained awkwardly.

Derpy patted his shoulder in a comforting manner, like always.

Rainbow, Indigo, Lemon, Scootaloo and Limestone had to contain themselves, because Pinkie Pie set up Flash in a completely innocent tone and chipper attitude. Most of the rest just smiled politely, because they were used to the girl's antics. Only Sugarcoat voiced inaudibly her opinion.

"And I'm told that I would be the blunt one," she whispered dryly. Nobody heard her.

"I think it's time to ask the one important question the people who don't know the details right now: What are you talking about? Another Twilight Sparkle? Another Everfree Forest? Another Canterlot? What do you mean?" Night Light asked, very interested and a little frustrated to be left out of the loop.

They all looked at Sunset for an explanation once more, her friends more apologetic, but they trusted their friend in this case to do it on her own. Despite their own knowledge in this matter.

Sunset took a deep breath and delivered.

She told them about how Terra and Equus were actually parallel worlds, mirrors of each other. How every, or at least most, cities, lands and persons, no matter if human or something else by now, had with a very high chance a counterpart somewhere on Sunset's homeworld. It followed a brief description of the Element Bearers of Equestria, how they were the Pony counterparts of Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Applejack, what tribe they belonged to and how they purified the Princess of the Night from her corruption as Nightmare Moon so that the Royal Sisters may rule together once more.

Afterwards she explained the concept of a Cutie Mark... Sunset didn't understand at all why so many found the name funny. It was just how they were called.

Most people questioned immediately how their own counterpart looked like, but Sunset couldn't satisfy the curiosity of the Shadowbolts, Cheerilee or a few of her fellow students, because she never met one of them in her time in Equestria or found it out. She didn't question Princess Twilight either in one of her letters, so that counted as a reason, too.

"So the Great and Powerful Trixie is a Unicorn? No surprise there. I'm sure my counterpart is one of the most magical Unicorns of all time!" Trixie boasted arrogantly.

"Not really," Sunset thought in boredom.

The last what she heard was that Twilight's newest student, Starlight Glimmer, befriended the Pony version of Trixie. Sunset found it very amusing how the Princess was annoyed and complained a lot that Starlight did more things with Trixie in the last time instead of with Twilight and her friends. The Alicorn called it a: ‘Disruption of a healthy student-teacher-relationship in the most important phase’.

Well, even the infamous Princess of Friendship could be jealous it seemed.

"I have to admit. This Starlight Glimmer sounds like a very strong Unicorn. I mean she managed to finish Starswirl's time travel spell to stop Rainbow Dash from performing her first Sonic Rainboom as a filly. That's not shabby at all. Maybe she's interested one day in a one on one match against me," Sunset thought gleefully. She was maybe ‘redeemed’ now, but enjoyed a good challenge in form of a sparring match every time of the day.

They, Princess Twilight and Sunset, didn't update each other since a long time, now that the former Unicorn thought about it. Hopefully was everything alright in Equestria. Well, she was sure that the situation there was much better than here on Terra.

It surprised Sunset that Luna and Celestia didn't say anything on that topic, they just... accepted it? Yes, they locked shortly eyes with each other from what the magician saw and nothing more happened. How odd.

The former dean didn't hold back though and voiced her opinion about her counterpart. "Shining and I are married and we have a d-daughter?! And we are rulers of an entire empire?! That's ridiculous! Shining could maybe organize military or police if he puts his heart into it and I'm good in babysitting, with teenagers and can handle adults, if necessary, too. But ruling an own kingdom?! There is NO way we could do something like that!" Alone the thought of having to survive and maneuver through the cruelest battlefield of existence known as politics created a queasy feeling in Cadance.

"Wait! That means I'm an aunt! Well, technically my counterpart is, but still! I'm an aunt, I'm an aunt, I'm an aunt..." Twilight exclaimed shocked and excited at the same time. Repeating the last part like a mantra.

"We are aunts... that sounds so strange when I say it out loud," Midnight added thoughtfully.

"I wish our Shiny would finally find the courage to ask officially for Cadance's hand in marriage," Velvet said, a little enviously that Night and she weren't grandparents like their counterparts. Her husband only chuckled.

"Geesh. Was I reacting like this, too?" Shining asked his former teammates.

"Yes," came the simultaneous reply from Sunny Flare and Sunset with a deadpan.

"I don't know why humans have to make such a fuse out of simple mating," Spike muttered dryly.

Winona supported the talking dog with her own barks and other sounds.

"I know, right? Finally someone who understands me," Spike replied with a smile.

"Oh... my..." Fluttershy commented blushingly, understanding every ‘word’ of Winona.

In situations like this the shy girl wouldn't mind when she wasn't able to communicate perfectly with animals.

"So the other Pie Family has an own rock farm? That's interesting. I wonder what kind of minerals Equestria has," Maud commented curiously.

"Did ya hear'? This 'Cutie Mark' sounds like a big deal for them Ponies. It's kinda like their special talent in life like for us humans magic now," Apple Bloom whispered to her fellow Destiny Crusaders in interest.

"Yeah. What's the big deal? It sounds like every Pony will find his or her Cutie Mark in life when the time is right anyway. It's like a law or something," Scootaloo agreed, not really getting it.

"I'm sure our counterparts have already their Cutie Marks since a long time. They are not difficult to discover, just try hard enough and you get your magical flank tattoo. We humans have it much more difficult, we have to be in the right situation, in the right emotional state at the right place and at the right time," Sweetie Belle lamented.

"And who would want to have only one talent anyway? It sounds like your possible job later in life depends only on how your Cutie Mark looks like. How lame is that?" Scootaloo added. Still uninterested.

The Crusaders were all sure that a Pony's Cutie Mark was easily to find and that it wasn't worth the effort to worry about it in the end of the day. Nothing special at all.

"Interesting..." Luviel started inquisitorially. "So everyone has a potential counterpart, but I guess the identity of our parallel-self was more orientated to our former human form. What basically says that everyone who was transformed into a new species by the magic of Earth most likely won't wear the same name now like it is the case in your homeworld, I presume?"

"That is possible. Of course I can't know that for sure, but the chance is very high. On Equus are races like Ponies of all tribes, yaks, buffalos, Gryphons, minotaurs, Changelings, horses from Saddle Arabia, donkeys, dragons, Diamond Dogs, to count a few possibilities what someone's counterpart could be," Sunset answered. Rubbing unsurely with a hand the back of her head.

Lemon raised a hand.

"Yes?" the redhead questioned.

"Is it an insult for donkeys if you say something with 'ass' in it?" Lemon asked honestly interested.

Her fellow Shadowbolts and most others looked at her in irritation. Why would she want to know something like that?

"Uhm, yes? You shouldn't say anything in that regard or idioms like: 'Stubborn as a mule.' They'll feel offended by saying such things," Sunset replied.

She once said mentioned idiom herself in Equestria and suddenly appeared a donkey behind her out of nowhere and demanded that she should apologize for saying it. The magician could have sworn that this donkey wasn't there before.

"What? Seriously, dude? That question came just into my mind after you mentioned donkeys and that was more meant as a joke, because I thought that would be completely ridiculous if especially donkeys would react in such a manner. But thanks for answering me, still," Lemon said, laughing.

"Are there more sapient animals, Sunset?" Fluttershy enquired quietly.

"Hmm. I just remember cows. They were sapient, too." Everyone looked at her. "What?"

Rainbow Dash replied. "Err... how does it work if you want to milk them? Are they just staying around? Or are they shouting: 'Fresh milk! Right from the udder! Now with 20% more whipping cream quality!' I mean you Ponies create sweets, too, right?” She added mentally, “However that is possible without hands,” and continued loudly, “So you would need milk and milk comes mostly from cows.

"Rainbow Dash! You could use a more ladylike choice of words for describing such a... sensitive topic," Rarity scolded her chromatic friend.

"Honestly? I have no idea. I have never cared much from where the milk came from and I won't ask the next cow I come across, thank you very much," Sunset replied slightly disgusted.

She wasn't sure if she would like the answer and Rainbow's created images in her head didn't make it better.

"Questionable topics aside. Ms. Shimmer, you said that everyone of us should have a counterpart in your world. Doesn't that mean that this world here should have, in theory, its own 'Sunset Shimmer'?" Luna wanted to know with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes? I think so at least. I never found my human counterpart-” For what she was glad for, because it wouldn't have ended well if her ambitious old-self had met her. “-or heard anything about another Sunset Shimmer for that matter in this area. Maybe she lives somewhere else?" the Phoenix Magic user stated.

Luna nodded. "I understand. You are right, that makes sense. And then I have to ask you about my counterpart-"

Sunset feared that Luna would make the connection. She had Lunar Magic, Celestia Solar Magic, she told both about a mirror world, how everyone here had, most likely, a Pony counterpart there and then how the princesses of Equestria raised and lowered the sun and moon. Not the most difficult connection to make.

"-Can it be that this 'Nightmare Moon', who was purified and is now once more the co-ruler with her big sister, was in reality 'Princess Luna'?" Asked the lunar knight in an ‘I-know-the-truth’ kind of tone.

Yep, Sunset was right with her assumption.

"And that the Princess of the Sun, your former mentor and the other co-ruler of Equestria, is known as 'Princess Celestia'?" added the former principal of CHS her own question.

Sunset sighed deeply, "Yes... Yes, you are both right. The immortal co-rulers and Alicorn princesses of Equestria for at least 5000 years by now, except when her little sister was banished to the moon for 1000 years in the form of Nightmare Moon from the Elements of Harmony, are Princess Celestia, Princess of the Sun and bringer of the day and Princess Luna, Princess of the Moon, guardian of dreams and bringer of the night."

"I see. Thank you for answering our questions, Sunset," Celestia stated simply with a half-smile. Luna nodded slowly her head in acknowledgement of this new bit of information and moved on with a neutral expression.

Wait. Was that it? They just were told that their counterparts were two of the most important and powerful beings of equestrian history, most humans would describe them as gods, and they didn't show any emotions? No reactions? No anger, despair or sadness from the former vice-principal, because it was her own counterpart who nearly committed genocide on Equus with bringing eternal night? Or Celestia, because the princess banished her own sister to the moon? Nothing at all?

The former Unicorn felt disappointed.

Sunset wasn't the only one who was very surprised by the cool behaviour of the siblings as an immediate response. It should normally be kind of a big deal when you were told that your alter ego was in another world an immortal entity that raised the celestial bodies, or not? Cadance looked confusedly at her aunts, but then understood what they planned, probably.

"Icecold those two. And I thought Sunny Flare is supposed to be the Ice Magic user here," Midnight joked.

"I must confess I expected a more emotional reaction as well. Somehow I'm disappointed," Twilight agreed with the dark angel's comment with her own scientific conclusion.

But far stranger for her was how everybody simply accepted Sunset's origin. Why didn't they freak out? Why didn't anybody call her friend a liar? Was she the only person who ever doubted Sunset's honesty?! She was a terrible friend!

"Sparky! Shut up!" her twin roared in sheer annoyance.

Why did her twin have to be such a sissy?

Author's Note

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

So the bomb was dropped. The resulting explosion was Pony-shaped and everybody died, the end. No wait, that isn't Fallout Equestria...

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 17 - Laments of the Past

Silence reigned for a short while, as most tried to understand what they were told. Until a certain elf came to a conclusion.

"Now I understand. The other type of magic, not being native to Earth, which flows through the Aether Veins and supplies our world as a second source is coming from your homeworld, Equus or more specific, Equestria. I guess the disturbance in Canterlot is the very portal that connects both worlds, right?" Luviel guessed in a serious sounding voice.

"Indeed," Sunset confessed with hanging shoulders and a guilty looking face.

"I see. I would like to see this mysterious portal for myself if possible.” Before the redhead could say something, the older woman held a hand up, “Don't worry I don't plan to do anything with it. I won't touch interdimensional magic. I just would like to see how the magic of your world in action for myself. Why are you looking so ashamed?" Luviel asked in confusion with a raised eyebrow.

"Because... because... it's all my fault!" Sunset declared emotionally, her eyes wet. The Emerald Elf motioned her to go on.

"I-I went through the mirror when the Mirror Portal opened after 30 moons again. I stole Princess Twilight's crown out of jealousy and foolish desire for revenge. A tiara that represented not only her status as a ruler, but was one of the Elements of Harmony, the Element of Magic itself. With bringing such a powerful artifact to Earth I brought great amounts of Equestrian Magic with it, too. I was selfish, greedy, power-hungry and consumed in the end by my own desires. It burned my very being and transformed me into a raging she-demon! Without a care in the world I tried to k-kill my future friends, because I was no longer solely a school bully, but a perverted version of a demon who wanted to conquer Equestria. I even brainwashed my fellow students without any remorse to get what I wanted.” She fell to her knees, finally able after all this time to venture her feelings.

Her friends weren’t really sure how to react to the sudden outburst, but Celestia kneeled in front of the girl and touched one of Sunset’s shoulders, “Let it all out.”

She always had the feeling that this young woman had pushed her emotions concerning the Fall Formal aside. Instead of talking about it, she tried to forget and to work around them with becoming a better person on her own way.

Tears built up in Sunset’s eyes and she looked gratefully at her former principal before she continued, “Princess Twilight and the girls were saved by the power of friendship and unleashed the full might of the Elements upon me. I guess the Element of Magic recognized its original bearer and helped, too. The point is, they saved me, showed me that there is a better way. That power alone, arrogance and pride lead down a path to complete solitude. These girls gave me a second chance in life, even when they didn't have to..."

Sunset smiled warmly in the direction of her friends, they returned the gesture. Pinkie ate popcorn with one hand and had a tissue in the other to wipe the tears from her eyes. "It was hard at first, people hated me and showed me the cold shoulder, but I couldn't hold that against them.” She hissed lowly in fury at herself. “For years... I did nothing else than to bully others. I blackmailed the students of CHS when I thought they would cross me in the wrong way, created rumors to ruin someone's reputation or collected embarrassing secrets about everyone so that I always had an advantage and an ace up my sleeve in case they challenged me. All this senseless behaviour so that I could be the unopposed Queen Bee of the school. I deserved everything I received for my unexcusable deeds."

Before she could continue her self-loathing Celestia voiced her opinion in a kind tone. "No, Sunset. Do you know why I never punished you like most people in my situations would have done it?” The Phoenix Magic user shook her head in response. The former principal laughed lightly. “Besides the point that naming magical Ponies, demons and magic as the reasons for the destruction of school property to the authorities would have led to a reception order for me into a mental hospital for sure, there was another reason. Yes, for what you did, after all rules of logic and desires for judgement, you should have been expelled from the school and forced to pay for all the damage you caused. Maybe even ending up in juvenile prison with blaming you for the caused damage someway without mentioning anything like magic as the origin.”

“W-why didn’t you? I was awful, to everybody. You had every right to punish me as hard as you wanted,” Sunset enquired quietly with lowered head.

A glint of pity appeared in the Solar Magic user’s eyes, “Yes, I could have done that. However, I gave you detention for two months and the task to help the masons who repaired the damage with cleaning work and to dispose of the waste for them if necessary, because I always believed that harsh and merciless punishment alone wouldn't have been the right choice to make in your case. Since the first day I met you, my instincts told me that you had a raw potential in you like I never felt it before. I wanted to believe in you, helping you to redeem yourself and to show everyone that you had changed for the better. I punished a lot of students for the behaviour they showed you, vandalism as the most prominent one, because it was wrong from them to act in such a way in the first place. Yes, I could understand that every student was very angry at you for what they had to endure, they had the right to be after everything what happened. Especially the Fall Formal.”

Luna snorted playfully at her sister and earned herself a small glare.

“Still, do as you are done by and making you feel as miserable as possible until they thought that they 'repaid' you for the past, was never the answer. I always had your back, Sunset and our past alone never defines who we are. What truly defines us are the choices we make in the present and I didn't saw any reason to doubt you nor your intentions since the Fall Formal," Celestia finished her explanation.

All present adults smiled in silent agreement with the former principals opinion, even Luna, who was normally for harsher methods of punishment, in opposite to her sister, had to concur and acknowledged her Celestia’s point. Rarity and Fluttershy, who sat besides Sunset the whole time, squeezed slightly their friend's hands in support.

The amber woman looked gratefully at Celestia and her friends for being on her side, before she sighed anew, "Be that as it may, after the Fall Formal the next big event was a, original planned, musical showcase to collect enough money for the after-school-programs of CHS. Then the Sirens came, better known as the Dazzlings. They were lurked to the school by the released magic at the night of the Fall Formal, I'm sure of that. They fed off negative energy and used their magic to let even the best of friends become enemies, they grew stronger and stronger over time. As a pinnacle they declared the formerly harmless event into the nowadays known Battle of the Bands to become unstoppable. In the final they were even able to summon their true forms as sirens to fight. Only with the bonds of our friendship, the help of Princess Twilight and the power of the strangely still lingering Elements, even without having the actual artifacts at our disposal, were we able to defeat the sirens and render them powerless. They solely came to Canterlot because of me in the end."

The magician glanced at human Twilight for the most part of recalling the next major event, "Both events, as you once told us, were recorded from the machines of your old lab in Crystal Prep as unknown energy patterns. The Friendship Games happened later. You built a device that should help you to detect this energy for you, magic. During the games you stole by accident the magic of every single one of us six. Cinch blackmailed and pressured you into participating in the Friendship Games for her own reputation and forced you to release the caged magic all at once. Like it happened with me, you were corrupted and transformed into Midnight Sparkle-"

"You might want to add that a sexy legend was born, Shimmer," Midnight said smugly. Twilight rolled mentally her eyes at her twins invincible ego.

"-craving to understand magic in every way possible. I could harness with the help of your device the magic of the Elements our friends represented, which stood for true friendship in our case and could help you see that there was a better way. Like your counterpart once showed me." Sunset stared meaningfully at the bookworm.

"Pah! Without Spike's help in form of his pleading look I would have defeated you easily. You were never stronger than me, even with 'Friendship Magic' in yourself!" Midnight pouted. “Even though I have to admit that I didn’t want to hurt him, he’s the best dog in the whole world and our number one assistant,” the dark angel confessed to herself.

Maybe her hesitation helped Twilight to regain her senses in the end? Whatever, there was no use to think about spilled milk.

"We were together in this, so I think you mean 'us' when you talk about the Friendship Games, Midnight. But I'm happy for you that you developed such a high grade of self-awareness. You truly seem to be your own person, even if we are very, very similar regardless," Twilight sincerely congratulated.

She swore she could see how the other girl blushed in the mindscape.

"The last major magical event that transpired, well, before the world as we knew it ended, was at Camp Everfree. Somehow, Equestrian magic managed to create a cave in the Everfree Forest and the seven geodes we are wearing now. It seems that they represent our own Elements in a sense, that's my guess after everything what happend at least. They gave us our powers to purify Gloriosa Daisy and to save Camp Everfree-"

"And don't forget these gorgeous outfits, Darling!" Rarity interrupted happily. Her sudden outburst gave Sunset a good scare what caused a few amused chuckles at the scene.

"Yeah, they, too. Thank you, Rarity. It was already very strange how everything changed anyway," Sunset looked at her other friends and held thoughtfully a finger up. "At first you could all only Pony-up-" Limestone groaned. "-because of the other Twilight's help and because of the Element of Magic I think.”

A second one followed, “Then after some time, already before the Battle of the Bands, you could do that alone with playing musical instruments with enough passion and joy behind it.”

Another finger raised and Sunset stood up, walking a little around on the spot. “During the Friendship Games you had only to show the virtue your specific Element represented and the transformation happened on its own.”

The fourth, “And lastly when we were in Camp Everfree, we all got one specific power. Applejack got great strength, I think because your Pony counterpart is an Earth Pony. Rainbow Dash became very fast, probably, because your counterpart is one of the fastest Pegasi of Equestria. Exactly like your counterpart, Fluttershy, you got the ability to speak with animals. Rarity, you can create diamond-shaped shields which looks similar to your counterpart's Cutie Mark. Twilight could suddenly levitate very well as to be expected from someone who represents the Element of Magic and finally there is Pinkie Pie..."

"Yes, yes? What is with me? Tell me, please! What can I do!?" Pinkie demanded to know, she could just barely contain her excitement.

"You can make sprinkles explode and higher concentrated forms of sugar in general it seems if you are not careful. What tells me..."

"Yeeeeees?"

"You are just being Pinkie Pie and I have no idea," Sunset responded without a clue.

"Yippie! I knew it! But silly Shimmy, I was always me. Who else could I be? Could I be Fluttershy? I'm very good at imitating her voice for whatever reason, but that was it. You make no sense," Pinkie stated, smiling like a cheshire cat.

Rainbow grinned impishly, “Don’t forget that you can look into others’ minds if you use your geode. Your face was priceless when you touched Pinkie Pie!”

Sunset groaned. Some had to laugh at Pinkie's antics or at the amber magician’s misfortune. Especially the former students of CHS remembered well how she sat for hours on a bench at Camp Everfree, trying to tell herself that what she saw, in the abyss known as the party planner’s mind, wasn’t real.

With red cheeks and a slightly raised voice, Sunset tried to change the topic again, "Anyway... my point is that I'm convinced the reason for the magical incidents since the dance and increasing number of occasions where you could Pony-up in easier ways more and more over the time was the rising concentration of magic from Equestria in the atmosphere. I-I think that I'm the reason that the world changed like it has. Equestrian magic could spread beyond CHS and Luviel confirmed that it's traceable in other countries of the planet.”

“What are ya tryin’ to say, Sugarcube?” Applejack didn’t like where this was going.

Sunset put her entire focus on the Emerald Elf, “Everything leads me to the conclusion that magic from my homeworld is responsible for awakening Earth's magic in the first place and all that only, because I wanted to become a princess. In the end I doomed and changed irreversibly so many lives with my own selfishness. Whatever I do or say, nothing could make it better or bring back the dead. It lays all in the past, but I'm ready to pay the consequences for my actions. Luviel, you are a Mana Weaver of your people and know most likely better by now than I do that it's all my fault, I trust in your judgement." Sunset bowed down in shame tears were running down her cheeks.

"You trust my judgement, hmm? So be it," Luviel said neutrally, she jumped from her hay bail and walked calmly and purposefully to the unmoving magician.

A pregnant silence reigned over the barn except the quiet sounds of her steps.

The Crusaders were frightened and hid behind Big Mac and Granny Smith who looked with narrowed eyes at the scene in front of them.

Most were not sure what would happen next and waited or didn't want to face a, potentially, angry Emerald Elf.

Celestia, Luna and Cadance observed the woman's every movement like hawks to intervene instantly in the unlikely case she tried to harm Sunset.

Zecora and Cheerilee shared a moment of uncertainty. It would surprise them when the humorous, easy-going and intelligent scholar committed an act of violence, but they didn't know Luviel for long enough to be sure. Just in case, Zecora concentrated her mojo and was ready to protect Sunset with a Water Shield. Still, they trusted Luviel Dawnseeker's judgement, like Sunset.

Shining Armor and Sunny Flare sat at their places like springs, ready to jump into action at every second to help their new friend and group leader.

In the moment she was a few steps away from the waiting Sunset, one of the Rainbooms had enough and appeared with swirling barely visible grey wind around her body in front of her friend. Ready for a confrontation and prepared stood Rainbow Dash in the way of the Mana Weaver with a scowl.

"I don't know what you are planning, but I won't let you hurt her and you'll have to face me when you even think about it. Sunset is one of my best friends and I won't leave her hanging, understood?" Rainbow Dash threatened.

An equally serious looking Applejack summoned her outfit in the activated form of her Mammoth Aspect and stood besides Dash. Her change of eye color and the new outfit weren't new to the others, but they were not less impressed, still. She showed this outfit in her demonstration earlier when the farmer introduced herself. "Ma' family show'd ya our Apple hospitality. Be careful with what ya do next," Applejack warned.

Rarity didn't summon her outfit, but her rapier blade and watched the advancing elf, calculating, "I must say, Darling. I'm not sure what you are doing, but it won't end well for you should you decide to act like a brute," she commented with a edge in her voice.

"These sprinkles have your name written on them, sister!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed with a can of sprinkles in the right hand she pulled out of her hair. The girl's serious manner was only betrayed by her playful smile.

"If you don't mind... step back," Fluttershy plea-demanded. The druid stood behind Sunset.

Twilight positioned herself in the very front and spoke confidently, much to the surprise and pride of her family and Cadance, "I’m sure we can solve everything peacefully. Sunset is no danger to anyone and she saved me and everyone else two times already. But we can't undo the past, so let us talk about it."

"Sparky, I just checked her magic and I have to warn you from picking a fight with that woman. She seems to be extremely strong and rivals easily in comparison of raw power the strongest of the group at this moment," Midnight cautioned.

Spike appeared besides his owner and showed for the first time to see for everyone his true form. Bulk screamed like a girl from shock. A few, who didn't see his Dire Wolf form until now were close to do the same and Winona hid behind a bigger hay bail. He filled with his new form a good part of the inner circle and Rainbow had to step aside so that she wasn't in the way of his big body.

Lemon had another opinion entirely. "Dude! Looking good!"

For the first time since she started to walk, Luviel showed emotions. "Oh! A Dire Wolf! I didn't see one since I left my home. It's always an honor to meet one of you majestic predators," she commented with a joyful tone.

The former dog replied in his deep voice, "Heh. I know that I'm awesome-"

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash shouted at Spike for stealing her catchphrase.

"-I just wanted to inform you that I will use you as my personal chew toy if you think about doing something inappropriate," the Dire Wolf informed the Mana Weaver in a matter of fact.

"He... hehe... hahaha...!" Luviel laughed hard. holding her sides from pain after a short time and nobody understood why.

After she calmed down, the Emerald Elf said, "I was never so much threatened before in my entire life at the same time. By Elandrial, that was hilarious. Don’t worry guys, I won’t do something crazy." Luviel looked challenging at the midnight blue tall woman. "I meant mostly you, Ms. Luna," the woman stated in a sweet tone.

Luna responded with a predatory grin of her own, "Ah. So you noticed, interesting." Celestia raised questioning an eyebrow at her sister.

Igneous Rock looked up by chance and saw the reason for this exchange of words. "By the Philosopher's' Stone!" He declared, shocked.

The rest of the group followed his gaze and were equally stunned or astonished.

Over the group, especially over the Emerald Elf, hovered both of Luna's scimitars and at least 30 similarly large swords made of white glowing Lunar Magic. They all aimed for the head of the Mana Weaver from different angles.

"So... awesome..." Rainbow whispered very impressed in a high-pitched voice.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to make sure that you wouldn't do something stupid. I think I have to apologize Ms. Dawnseeker," came the added very nice sounding apology.

"Your former vice-principal is all kinds of scary," Midnight said dryly.

Twilight gave no answer, she was to busy to admire the skill Ms. Luna must have to summon so many swords at once with her magic and not even be tired at all.

"Overkill much?" Celestia mumbled only for her little sister to hear.

Luna considered that possibility before she replied smugly, "No. Not at all. I'm just this good." She snapped demonstrating her fingers and in a blink of an eye, all swords, including her two real weapons, disappeared into nothingness.

"Sunset Shimmer." Luviel started and got the attention of the mentioned girl. "I listened to every detail you had to say and in the end I came to my own conclusion..." She smiled warmly at the young woman. "There is nothing I could forgive you for any longer."

Sunset looked up again. "W-what do you mean? I brought mag-"

"Yes," Luviel cut off. "I'm aware, so let me explain. My new race exists no more than three months. I think that was during your Friendship Games, right?" Sunset nodded. "See? We, like many other beings, were already on this world before you went to Camp Everfree. That means the magic of Terra started to awake much earlier than you might have thought. The question is now, how? I don't think that the magic of your homeworld didn't play a role, that simply wouldn't be true. In fact, I am sure that this, now formerly unknown, magic awoke the indigenous magic of this planet at some places and slowly fused together with it or diffused into the Aether Veins. It started a reaction that would have happened on is own one day, but much, much later in the history of this world.” She giggled disarmingly, “You can't blame yourself for something that would have happened anyway. There is no point in punishing you anymore. What was done can’t be changed. And to be honest, I was told a lot about you and witnessed Sunset Shimmer as a person on my own. I listened to your story and I'm sure that your former teacher would be very proud of you."

"Y-you think so? Even after I failed her?" Sunset enquired guiltily.

Kindness radiated from the older woman, "I know so. You learned from the mistakes of your past and saved the day and two times even the world with the help of the humans you call your friends. I must confess, I rarely witnessed a greater loyalty to a single person or thicker bonds of friendship. Nearly everyone here was ready to jump in front of you and fight me to the death as long as it meant that you could live another day. Especially your closest friends-" Luviel glanced over the Rainbooms. "-would aid you without a second thought if you are in trouble to defend and support you. Every of these humans will stand by your side in even your darkest hour of need, I can feel it.”

“I-I don’t know what to say…” the Phoenix Magix user mumbled to herself.

A more serious expression adorned the elf’s features, “Sunset Shimmer. Your chosen path of redemption is admirable, but no longer necessary. Since a long time. Now you should live entirely in the present and work for the future instead of cursing the events of the past. Everyone forgave you, at least the people who are important to you, only you are left to do the same. It's not longer necessary to hate or to blame yourself, your past isn't important for anyone who isn't a fool. Live. Live and embrace what you have become. Stop haunting yourself, girl.”

“But didn’t you say that my homeworld’s magic played a role there? What do you mean with that?” Sunset wanted to know.

Luviel shrugged with her shoulders, “The magic of your world gave it a kick start, but that was all. The induced changes on Earth happened too fast, still. Something or someone helped to accelerate the procedure immensely. You remembered how I told you about the second anomaly I felt, right? I don't know what origin it had or what kind of energy was responsible, but the spirits of earth told us that the second disturbance, located in the center of the Celestial Sea, is guarded by the elements themselves, so I have no idea how to come closer to solving the mystery in the moment. It's much too dangerous.”

It was Zecora’s turn to be surprised, “Spirits? I didn’t know your people could communicate with the elements.”

The elf waved it off, “Oh, we don’t. We have a friendly orc clan as neighbours, with a lot of shamans, who consulted them for more informations after we asked for help in order to find the sources of the two disturbances.”

“What did they say? Has their wisdom granted thee insight?” Igneous Rock enquired, quite interested.

“The only useful information I received was that what- or whoever caused this event created a gigantic maelstrom in the epicenter and the spirits got the impression that, I quote: 'An entity of greatest power escaped from its prison.' So I guess it's more a person than a magical artifact responsible for the fast awakening of the formerly slumbering magic. That being helped and gave strong pushes whenever its 'prison' became weaker. Before you ask, I have absolutely no idea what that all means, I have only clues and theories at my disposal, as do you.”

Most were disappointed at hearing that.

“You see, Sunset? That is the reason I have nothing to forgive. This 'mysterious entity' is responsible for most of what transpired on Terra the last months. And now it is free, roaming this world... maybe. I don't know," the elf concluded.

"Did the spirits of this plane told my fellow shamans a name by chance?" Zecora enquired.

"Nope! The orcs said that the spirits only tell something when they feel like it and decide for themselves what they tell you. The shamans asked for a name of said entity and became only a cryptic answer what could be translated to: 'Some answers are hidden, even from us. We may know much, but we are not all-knowing. You have to look for yourself if you want to find any answers.' Oh, but they warned us, the spirits were so nice. Pretty much said the maelstrom is surrounded by hundreds of smaller vortices, tornadoes and bad weather on the surface and we would need to find a way to reach the prison in question on another way. I don't know. Maybe there is an underwater passage or a cave? I have otherwise absolutely no clue what to do next, at all," Luviel answered, annoyed from the lack of ideas and possibilities.

That was certainly a problem. They couldn't reach the ocean floor in the middle of the sea just like that. The group, or a small team at least, needed help to reach the maelstrom, or the journey to find out the truth behind everything would come to an abrupt end. There were no more clues how to find out more about the second anomaly and what kind of being escaped, so that was the best shot.

This mysterious prison needed to be found. Finally, they had a goal to work for.

"Pff, piece of cake! Whoever broke out of the prison has already lost. Nobody messes with us without getting a rainbow to the face. We managed to come out of top every time until now, that won't be any different. I'm sure we can beat this 'entity' every time of the day with one hand behind the back, how hard can that be anyway? It's surely again a mad wannabe conqueror who thinks he could defeat us all alone. When we all work together then we can kick whatever broke out into the next week and save the day, like we always do. We managed to save two of our friends from becoming insane, beat the sirens, saved the world and prevented Camp Everfree from becoming a spa paradise. Whoever that is will come next onto our infamous list of people who didn't know with who they were messing with. Together," Rainbow Dash ended her little speech with confidence.

Ponytail and Pegasi wings appeared on her body during her talk, thanks to her display of loyalty filled words.

A few nodded in agreement, but Sunset counted to the persons, much to her own surprise, because she normally always agreed with Rainbow Dash's speeches about facing the villain, who weren't sure if this would be as easy as the teenager made it out to be. It was just a feeling that they shouldn't underestimate this entity.

"OK. Before we talk further about our plans for the future, I think it's time to discuss the important events of the last two days. I'm sure most have something interesting to tell," Celestia started the next point on the agenda of the meeting.

"Ah guess this time we coul' start," Applejack announced plainly.

She started to tell everyone that Rainbow, Fluttershy and herself visited the horses to ensure that they were fine and how then the two basilisks attacked them. Rainbow added that she tried to lure them away from the farm and only one followed before she left.

"Fluttershy, do ya want to tell the next part? Ya’re the reason Ahm still kickin’" Applejack asked out of the blue.

"W-What do ya mean?" Apple Bloom queried worriedly. Her sister never told her much about what happened this day. Only that she ‘kicked some varmin' from their property’.

"O-OK..." Fluttershy whispered, caught off-guard to some degree.

In her typical quiet and apologetic manner and some comforting hugs in between from Pinkie Pie she managed to tell her part until she managed to free Applejack with the help of her Purification spell.

"Fluttershy, that was incredible! Especially that you could even cast this spell, if it was meant for much later in your training," Sunset complimented proudly.

The shy girl blushed in embarrassment.

Apple Bloom hugged the young druid, crying, "Thank you..." she mumbled gratefully into the girl's body for saving her big sister's life.

"You are Fluttertastic!" Pinkie Pie screamed in pure joy.

"Truly impressive such a high level of healing abilities, indeed," Zecora supported.

"Eep!" Too much positive attention, Fluttershy blushed up a storm.

Luna and Celestia smiled kindly at their former shy student and made a brief eye contact. Her story confirmed it, Fluttershy and Zecora were to be the healer of the group.

Applejack told her part and earned with the bit how she literally kicked the Thunderback back into the bog a few amused chuckles.

When Rainbow Dash finished with her part, Luviel looked not only disgusted, like everyone else alone from the description of the gargoyles, but for another reason entirely and furious, too. The description of the ore caused her scowl.

Indigo noticed it first, "Luviel? You look pretty angry, everything alright?" she enquired unsurely.

"No... I know that black ore. I encountered it at... demon infested places. It's called Devil's Desire. A very dangerous metal for all beings who are not connected to the realm of Tartarus. With that I mean being a demon or having demonic magic inside of you. Otherwise what Rainbow Dash saw, the poor gargoyles, that would be the result of being exposed to it for too long. Endless, tormenting mutations of body and soul. Normally it only exists in the plane of Tartarus, that means that someone must have placed the ores there on purpose. Someone who most likely knew the effects, but who?" The Emerald Elf was disgusted.

"Such minerals are a mockery of everything natural," Maud commented with hostility in her voice.

"We should be careful from now on. When some insane idi-people are decorating the environment with this ore we have to find and hunt them to make them stop! Sour Sweet suggested. She nearly slipped in her language proximal the children, the Shadowbolt didn't need the adults on her case.

"I concur. We should keep our eyes and ears open to avoid the fate of the gargoyles," Luna agreed.

Next was the group around Twilight. She told everything from the start to the end in all its details. Rainbow Dash nearly fell asleep.

Midnight shared the chromatic girl's opinion, "That had to be the longest tale I ever heard. I love details like every other scholar, but that was nearly material to catch up with sleep," the magical twin grumbled.

"Every detail is important for a well understood story!" Twilight defended herself. Midnight rolled her eyes.

"Well... that was a thing," Shining summed it up.

He was used to his sister's antics, so he knew when it was necessary to listen and when to think about the important things in life. The others weren't this lucky he feared.

Moondancer, in opposite to most of the audience, felt great and enjoyed the tale, absorbing every detail like a sponge. Like she always did with new informations.

"Psst. Darling, you are being rude," Rarity whispered into the nearly sleeping Rainbow Dash's ear.

"Wh...Wha? Is it finally over?" Dash asked hopefully.

Rarity facepalmed.

"So basically... even plants are dangerous nowadays?" Octavia repeated questioningly. Vinyl gave her friend a thumbs up.

"Well, at least these three crazy girls who love flowers with a passion aren't here. They would just faint and cry 'how awful' everything is, particularly the mutated monster flowers, and 'The horror! The horror!' or something like that," Sugarcoat thought bluntly.

She wondered what happened with these three anyway, it wouldn't really surprise her and she knew that sounded cruel, but it was the truth, when the trio counted to the first victims of the invasion of Canterlot with their antics. Sugarcoat had once a botany class with them in a special course at Crystal Prep last summer, it was a hobby of her to tend on her own to the gardens at home. Even when her family was rich and had a gardener, the former student prayed that her parents were fine.

"We shall report next," Luna informed curtly. It wasn't a suggestion.

"So we shall," Igneous Rock confirmed.

The Pie's informed about their search for Pinkie Pie, what let the girl in question tear up from happiness, no matter that she knew it already, from the point they tried to escape from Canterlot. Maud seemed to be the first of the entire group who defeated an elemental, many felt satisfaction to some degree that at least one of them found its end.

When they talked about Ponyville Cheerilee could just groan. How didn't she see them? She could have sent the family to Sweet Apple Acres, sparing them from further anxiety for goodness' sake!

Limestone continued and told how they encountered the Shadow Maniac at the Ghastly Gorge and how she discovered her magic to defend Maud before Luna cut it in three.

"My timing was good, if I may so myself," Luna added satisfied. Her sister rolled her eyes.

"Hm... Shadow Maniacs. Can't say I know these kind of creatures," Luviel muttered under breath.

Celestia took the lead this time and told them about a demoness, this ‘Lady Alandra’, who took over the Ghastly Gorge as her domain and left them no choice than to accept her ‘offer’. Namely, the trials of combat Luna, Cadance and herself had to complete in order to return to the farm with the Pies and entered their three chosen portals which led to the realm of Tartarus. Saying that everyone was shocked by the sole fact that the three had to venture into the plane of demons itself would be an understatement

"What?! You had to fight in Tartarus?! And I just get sick half-dead gargoyles? How lame is that?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, annoyed.

"Rainbow? Did ya hit yer noggin the last time ya napped?" Applejack asked her rival in confusion. Why would she want to go on her own will to Tartarus?

"Duh! Fighting demons in Tartarus itself has to be one of the most awesome things in history," the chromatic athlete replied like it was a fact.

"Sure Dash," Sunset commented dryly.

Celestia, Luna and Cadance recounted their trials and how they managed to escape. Luna's and Celestia's tales had the most interested audience until now. Everyone hanged on their every word, Celestia had sometimes to wait before she could continue, because Twilight, Moondancer, Sunny, Shining and Luviel wanted to solve the riddles without having the answer beforehand.

Twilight Velvet made notes this time, too. She found it very interesting how the demons constructed the trials and it inspired her for her own work.

When Cadance finished her own part over her adventure in the Chamber of Domination, many didn't know how to feel about Sombra. Yes, he was a demon, but he didn't harm her directly and was controlled by the Umbrum. Speaking of the devil, those cruel creatures of darkness were nothing any of them wanted to encounter.

Sunset felt like this name was somehow familiar, but from where? Maybe she read the name ‘Umbrum’ in one of the many books she searched through when she read in the forbidden part of the royal library in her time as Princess Celestia's student? She wasn't sure anymore, the former Unicorn ignored everything that didn't have to do with the mirror at that time.

"So you managed to return to Sweet Apple Acres. Pretty sweet, but what is with that demoness, Alandra? Isn't she too dangerous to be left alone? She could do who knows what or steal more 'interesting' souls," Lemon questioned nervously.

"It's not so easy as one might think, Lemon Zest. My people fought demons since two months now at the borders of our kingdom and we found a few interesting things out about them. For example their primary rank system to classify demons in levels of strength. The lowest rank is named 'Lesser Demon'. Then comes 'High Demon', then 'Lord Demon', followed by 'Ancient Demon', 'Archdemon' and lastly 'Royal Demon' or also known with the title of 'Damnation Seeker', if you prefer the title the demons give each other in a more militaristic form. Moreover, this Lady Alandra told you about the title, so you have an idea what 'Damnation Seeker' actually are. From what I understood and heard about this demoness, she could be a Lord Demon. You do not want to face such a foe in your current state. Believe me," Luviel informed grimly.

She had a haunted look on her face.

No more questions were asked on this topic. Zecora, Cheerilee and the Shadowbolt, except Sunny Flare, paled, because it meant that these 'Adepts of Khom' actually worshipped one of six Royal Demons and tried to summon a Damnation Seeker to this plane.

"I think it's time to talk about your journey, Shining." Night Light motioned his son.

"I guess you are right, dad. Are you both ready, Sunny, Sunset?" His teammates nodded in defeat.

The team informed the group that they entered the White Tail Woods forest and what they encountered after hours of searching. The two corpses of Water Melody and Micro Chips.

"Poor guys," Flash said with lowered head. Many followed his example.

"What happened to them? Do you know that?" Luna enquired sadly, but with a hint of fury.

"Uhm..." Sunny looked at the trio of children and locked eyes with Granny Smith.

The matriarch understood fastly, "Do ya three want to leave the barn? It seems how these youngin' left the world ain't pretty," Granny Smith asked the unofficial Destiny Crusaders, unknown for everyone else except themselves.

They were perhaps young, but no more little children that should be sheltered in the woman's opinion.

"No!" came the combined answer.

Yes, after the events of Canterlot, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom had to be cared for from their big sisters, because of the horrible, with screams, pain and death filled, nightmares. Scootaloo didn't leave Rainbow Dash's side for many hours non-stop. Afterwards the three decided, thanks to the help of many talks with Granny Smith and others, for themselves that they wanted to face the world in everything it had to offer. Hiding from it, closing off all senses to remain ignorant or acting like everything was alright in the moment, these weren't options they wanted to take. Especially now where they wanted to find their special talents in magic, what will most likely include danger to their knowledge anyway. They couldn't run away from the truth, no matter how hard it would be. The Destiny Crusaders were no quitters!

"OK. On yer own risk, youngin'," Granny Smith warned with a sad but proud smile.

Velvet wanted to intervene, but a short eye contact with the woman told her everything she needed to know. The worried mother let the matter rest. Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash already talked about everything with Granny Smith and the three girls and accepted, still much to Rarity's dismay, their decision.

Sunny Flare told everyone about the giant tarantulas without wanting to go into detail, but because of Scootaloo's innocent question why it would be so horrible that spiders killed them, it had to be explained what it meant. That spiders paralyzed their victims, filled them with a liquefying acid and enzymes to let the prey's intensities and entire interior become a paste the arachnids could drink.

The images of dry, mummified husks which were left behind and tormented screams of the poor souls, having to life through the cruel procedure of getting the own organs liquified step for step until the merciful embrace of death put them out of their misery, were more than enough to create many pale faces under the audience.

She continued to explain their encounters with the spiders and how they worked together, much to the confusion of all who thought and knew that most spiders usually never hunted with others, until they found the valley where the brood lived and they encountered the matriarch of the tarantulas, Arachne.

The Shadowbolts thanked Shining Armor meanwhile for saving Sunny Flare's life at that point with his Paladin Magic. Cadance chuckled warmly at him.

"Then after a short battle, in which we got most of the spiders for good, we were caught by them after Arachne somehow managed to shot chains made of lightning at us. They blocked our use of magic as long as the prisoner wasn't stronger than her," Sunny informed dramatically.

"R-Really?" a nervous Fluttershy enquired fearfully.

Shining continued with a little more enthusiasm in his voice, "Oh yes. Arachne wanted to kill us with glee, but most important was for her to let Sunset suffer, because she killed most of the brood. So she wanted to let her witness our deaths. She choose Sunny first, then, before something could happen, Sunset created a giant pillar of her fire, overpowered the giant spider's chains with ease, roasted a few spiders what caused the rest of the smaller ones to flee and summoned her own armor. Like Ms. Luna and Ms. Celestia," he answered smugly.

"Right! You didn't say anything about your magic when it was your turn to introduce yourself. I guess we all forgot about it after your superific story. Now you can you catch up with that, too. Go, Shimmy!” Pinkie cheered on her friend.

Sunset started in a joking tone. "Hello, my name should be known by now-" Polite and amused chuckles followed. "-so I just show you my magic. It's named Phoenix Magic and works like this." the magician summoned in both of her palms spheres of her magic and flames upon her body which danced around her in a hypnotizing manner.

"Beautiful," Marble complimented shyly.

"And this is my armor Shining spoke about," Sunset added.

She stepped into the center of the room and called her armor and weapon and summoned for the effect, and to boast, she had to admit, but the magician guessed it wouldn't be wrong if everyone knew she could have her own set of wings. Her angelic phoenix wings upon her back.

"I have to admit. You look badass, sister," Vinyl voiced her opinion for the very first time. There was not much else to say.

"You have wings! Can you fly with them?" Rainbow Dash immediately wanted to know.

A new potential flying buddy was always good in her book. Besides, she couldn't let it stay like that, her friend nearly rivaled her own awesomeness in this form in front of all.

"A little bit? I would have to train with them, I think. We have to see." Sunset didn't know the first thing about flying, she thought that she was very lucky that it worked out so well for her in the fight with Arachne.

"Say no more. With these hot babies, pun intended, we will bring you into the air in no time," the chromatic teenager promised.

"Thanks, Dash," Sunset replied sincerely.

"I would like to participate in those flying lessons, too, Ms. Dash. I have wings of my own," Luna commented, grinning. The girl approved.

"So... what happened next?" Moondancer asked in suspense.

Sunset returned to her normal set of clothes and sit down again between her friends. Shining continued to recall how Sunset fought with the brood mother and she annihilated the spider with her last attack.

It impressed the Emerald Elf this time that the young woman could create an attack of this magnitude, she thought that only adults would be able to pull off such a feat.

Sunny took over again and explained that, after Sunset showed her respect with putting Sandalwood's body to rest with her flames from the stony marble-made thorns and erasing all of Arachne's eggs from existence, they returned to their camp and waited for an unconscious Sunset Shimmer to wake up. The Shadowbolt finished with reporting about the short confrontation with the Forest Walkers.

"It was a necessary deed to destroy future threats through the matriarch's brood. These spiders were no longer a part of the natural circle and would have devoured every animal of White Tail over time and expanded beyond it afterwards. You did the right thing with eliminating as many of them as possible. I must say I'm interested into the reasons why the normally peaceful guardians of the woods blocked your path and wanted to attack you," Zecora voiced her point of view.

"Indeed. Inside the borders of Ashall and beyond, Forest Walkers are very peaceful and guardians of nature in general. They protect in my kingdom the Everblooming Forest and the Dryad Grove among other places. Something must have truly disturbed and angered them," Luviel supported the troll shaman.

Twilight looked up from her notes, "I think there is only your group left, Sugarcoat."

"Before we start. I have to tell you that we weren't only in Ponyville were we met Ms. Cheerilee, Zecora and Luviel, but later visited Camp Everfree, too. It changed very strongly and is under a... new management you might say," Indigo started sheepishly.

"What do you mean, Darling?" Rarity asked for everyone.

Zecora took the word, her eyebrows furrowed together, "I shall try to shed light upon the matter that concerns the darkest events that happened in the last time. We have a cruel enemy at our doorstep and especially Ponyville is in grave danger. The Adepts of Khom," she started with a very grimm expression.

Luviel, Cheerilee and the four Shadowbolts got deep, partly hateful, scowls on their faces after the troll spoke out the name of the warlocks' sect.

The shaman informed everyone how the spirits told her that something was very wrong and that she had to build a barrier to prevent dark powers to get a hold on the citizens of Ponyville and they showed her that the four Shadowbolts had to be found in order to help her stopping the threat.

Cheerilee had now the word, "Yes. Zecora told me all about it and that I should bring them to her. The problem is, since everything started, specially after the invasion of Canterlot, everything magical was very much hated by the refugees. They declared that everything 'unnatural' and all sapient beings who were 'not human' had to be reported and dealt with. I can tell you that their plans were everything else than friendly. Luviel and Zecora had to hide themselves the whole time from the moment they entered the inner city until the moment we left Ponyville and had to fear for their lives in case of a discovery. Then I found the four and led them to Zecora's shop."

"It's sad what loss and suffering are doing with the people. So much hatred and mostly unfounded, too. Zecora and Luviel never harmed a single human in the town, but their species alone is reason enough to hunt them down for most," Cadance commented with lowered head.

"I think it's time that we talk this topic before you continue, now when it's fresh, how do we want to handle Ponyville?" Luna intervened. She was irritated by some behaviour the magician witnessed from the humans in Ponyville when she was shortly in town yesterday to buy food and other things.

"We have to speak and somehow convince them to help with us. All of us. The permanent state of paranoia, despair, fear and hatred can't continue like this. When we explain to you what happened on our end and why the Adepts of Khom have to be fought with everything we can offer, you will understand. But for now, who wants to try to... reason with the leaders of the town and their different groups? Who is confident enough into his or her diplomatic abilities? Zecora and me can't, our appearance alone would just add fuel to the fire," Luviel questioned curiously into the round.

"I shall," Igneous Rock Pie raised his hand first. Some were surprised, because the man didn't say much until now. Maybe he just talked when he deemed it necessary.

"I will come, too. Some may know me and I think that might help," Cheerilee volunteered.

"Luna and me will help, too. Already as safety measures, who knows what some of them may do," Celestia stated.

The lunar knight agreed silently.

"I wish I could come with you, but I think Twilight and me will have more than enough to do with helping Moondancer tomorrow," Sunset said, giving the girls in question a smile which they returned gladly.

"I want to come, too. I think you may need a helping hand if everything goes south," Shining voiced his concern.

"I'm in!" Rainbow Dash shouted. Nobody was sure if the girl even heard that Luviel talked about having ‘diplomatic abilities’.

"A-Are you sure, Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy asked her childhood friend.

"You do know that we need people there who are very patient and levelheaded, right?” Sunset asked the athlete amusedly.

"Of course! I will win them all over and my name is not for nothing Rainbow Patient Dash," the tomboy assured in utter confidence.

"We are so dead," Luna whispered to herself in dread.

"So our diplomatic team will consist out of Mr. Pie, Ms. Luna, Ms. Celestia, Shining Armor, Ms. Cheerilee and Rainbow Dash. Six people should be enough. As long as Rainbow Dash doesn't mess up and endangers everyone of the team," Sour Sweet voiced her opinion and received laughs and a glare.

"We have to hope for the best and believe that reason and intelligence will prevail above hatred and stupidity. Without our help, the same goes for us without their cooperation, this sect will destroy us one by one. We have to work together in order to survive. I like to believe that the biggest part of Ponyville doesn't hate magic and everything and everyone connected to it, but will be able to see that we are no threat for them and work for a peaceful solution. If we push at the right places," Luviel added.

Zecora continued and explained how the four Shadowbolts and herself were driven to the borders of Camp Everfree from Cheerilee. Afterwards she told everybody what they saw and what had become out of the once beautiful camp. A base for warlocks and demons.

She told them how they met Filthy Rich and what he told them, from the moment he met Punisher Vyndrak to the cruel demise of the co-directors, before their bodies were disposed of like trash. When the shaman explained what happened with their souls, what Vyndrak made out of them and how he created the Soul Prisons as receivers for the warlocks' mind control spell, it was possible to feel how some fought with themselves so that they wouldn't storm blindly into the direction of the adepts' outpost to take revenge.

Her listeners, but mostly everyone who was in Camp Everfree before, felt violently ill, sheer fury, partly greater hatred, desperate, sad or completely horrified from what Zecora described.

"H-How could they do that to Camp Everfree?! T-To Timber and G-Gloriosa," Twilight whispered in defeat and devastated about what happened with Timber, that he had to suffer in such a way.

Her mother walked over to her daughter and pulled her into a warm hug.

"These monsters! They'll pay for what they did!" Rainbow Dash swore.

"I think everyone has an own opinion about what to do with these... Adepts of Khom, but we should let Zecora continue," Celestia tried to reason, furious herself.

Zecora nodded her head in thanks and finished her tale with a detailed description how they defeated the Terrorbeast. It didn't make them feel better, but many of the group were happy how they destroyed a very strong demon on their own. It was one demon less they had to encounter in the upcoming battle against the sect.

"I think I tell you the rest of the story. Then we can surely all agree that our next step should be to prepare ourselves against Punisher Vyndrak and the small army he will create. I'm very sure that he will want to take Ponyville by force and every single soul within without mercy. Our preparation depends on how much time we have left before he strikes." the Emerald Elf began.

"I-I thought this meanie-no, monstrosity, was using his disgusting prisons?" Pinkie enquired with much less puffy hair.

Luviel gave a smile and told her own story. She began with giving a description where she met Vyndrak and later Filthy Rich for the very first time and that Khom was one of the six Royal Demons because of his title as Damnation Seeker, but that she couldn't do anything against him at that point, because the elf needed her Spell Dagger back. She then gave a short explanation for what the dagger could be used, how she later met Cheerilee and how they together saved the souls of Timber and Gloriosa with the help of the little weapon. The elf finished her story with the bit of how they left with Zecora and the girls Ponyville in the middle of the night.

"Luviel, Cheerilee, I think I speak for all of us who were in Camp Everfree when I say this: 'Thank you very much for saving the co-directors' souls'," Celestia announced in gratitude.

"That was the least what I could do. Much more important is now to shatter Vyndrak and his brethren to nothingness." came the Mana Weaver’s reply.

Nobody had any objections. Even the kindest and shyest two persons, Marble and Fluttershy, couldn't find it in themselves to find a word of good for these adepts and had a hard time to discover kindness in their hearts for the warlocks.

"I thank you all for coming, that concludes our meeting. Applejack can you show Luna and me a nice place to chat in private, please? And you may come, too, Sunset. We wanted to discuss something with you, alone," the solar knight enquired gently.

Cadance smiled knowingly, she knew that her aunts had questions on their own about about something. She guessed about their counterparts.

"Ah know a good place. See ya gals, please follow me, Ms. Celestia, Ms. Luna," Applejack left the barn first, the siblings closely behind.

Sunset looked with expectations at Twilight. After some seconds of feeling watched, the scholar noticed the questioning stare. She walked up to her friend with a small amount of tension.

"Y-You wanted to talk with me?" Twilight enquired nervously.

"I guess I should have seen that coming. Well, if she wants to exorcise me I hope she is ready for a tough challenge. This girl here won't move out without a fight!" Midnight declared faithfully.

"Move out? That is my body we are talking about and no real estate," Twilight said a little insulted.

"What? I'm paying for it every day I'm in here! I play nice with your friends, I help you out whenever I can, I'm sharing generously my wisdom with you and worse, I have to put up with the pink virus. Or I play magic detector for you and tell you about the magical power level of an opponent. I even dispose of trash, you know, burning plants, lecturing you about bad ideas. I have a very hard fulltime job here, Sparky." the dar angel lectured like a teacher.

Twilight could only groan at her twin.

"Yeah, don't worry. There's just something I noticed about the portal you made and I only want to talk with you about it. It's fine for you, right? I don't want to force you to anything. You look so... concerned," Sunset answered worriedly.

"I'm fine! Really! There is nothing I'm worried about, I was just thinking and wondering about what you want to talk about. Hehe." Twilight nearly sweated bullets.

Sunset noticed that and tried to make the girl relax, "Please, wait for me in my room, Twilight. I'm worried about you and I think you know already about what I want to talk with you," she stated more sternly than she planned at first.

Ponyfeathers!

She had to make sure that her friend didn't do something stupid, the Phoenix Magic user trusted into Twilight's judgement, she really did, but Midnight Sparkle was very clever, too. She had to make sure that the other half of her didn't plan any longer to destroy the entire world just to achieve her goals.

The former student of Princess Celestia felt it the moment Twilight made the portals. This magic had a darker touch than her normally violet colored one. And the color fit perfectly.

"O-OK... uhm I will go then. See you in a bit!" Twilight walked back to the Apple's house.

Sunset wondered about what the prin-former principals wanted to talk with her. Was it maybe a delayed conversation about their counterparts? Possible... she knew it was too good to be true that they didn't show any reaction at all to her explanations!

Luna and Celestia stood upon the hill Applejack showed them before the girl departed to help Bic Mac and the rest of the former students who worked with him with last chores on the fields for the day. They were lucky it was the middle of summer, so the sun stood at the sky, still.

"Are we really doing this right now?" Luna asked her sister in a dry voice.

"Come on, Lulu. I think Sunset feels much better if she knows that she isn't the only one with a difficult past here," Celestia encouraged.

"I really hate it when you are right. You know that?" the Lunar magician commented, annoyed.

"I know. I love you, too," replied the solar knight smugly.

"There she comes," Luna informed, trying to ignore her older sibling's trolling smile.

“Sorry, I had to talk with Twilight about something important and didn't know where Applejack brought you so I had to ask her first for directions," Sunset tried to defend herself for being tardy. She panted heavily.

"Finally. I thought you forgot about us and fell asleep somewhere," Luna joked with a small smile.

"Alright, Sunset. We wanted to talk with you about two things. The first point on the agenda are our counterparts," Celestia informed in a business-like tone.

"I knew it!" Sunset shouted in triumph, in her head.

"I will try my best to answer your questions, Princ-Celestia," Sunset corrected herself blushing. Luna snorted.

"To think that you were once the personal student of my sister's counterpart. And then you wanted to steal an ancient artifact, brainwash all your fellow students and take over Equestria," Luna summed up and looked at her sister. "I always knew you were a dark influence, but that your students would try to overthrow and conquer... typical." She had to hold back maniac giggles.

Celestia gave her sister a deadpan.

"At least my counterpart didn't try to bring eternal night. I mean, great, that sounds like fun. Oh wait, everything is doomed to die and freeze to death, I nearly forgot. I could even bet that the pony version of you shouted something only you would come up with. Let me guess, something like: 'The night shall last... FOREVER!' Something like that, I presume," Celestia countered mockingly.

"Oh yes? As if you are soooo much better. Alone from the description Ms. Shimmer gave us I can say that your counterpart sits on an imposing position upon her throne. The rays of the sun are illuminating her from the back, nearly blinding everyone who looks at her giant figure, baths in her self-absorbed brilliance and is like: 'Oh my benevolent subjects. My little Ponies. May our kingdom prosper in tolerance, love, harmony and friendship.' Oh, and your counterpart abuses her title as a princess without a shame in the world to call dibs on every cake she desires," Luna opposed with vigor.

"And I think your counterpart, especially after her long absence of 1000 years, has surely the speech pattern of Pinkie Pie's parents. 'Thous' and 'Thees' everywhere and the only thing that would have been doubled would be the amount of headaches. I believe your-"

Celestia was interrupted by Sunset Shimmer. The girl was laughing so hard that she had to hold her sides. The siblings had the decency to blush.

After Sunset calmed down she said, "You both managed to describe your counterparts better than I thought," Sunset had to admit with a grin.

"Well, sorry that you had to see that. I hope we can count on you to keep what just transpired a secret. Right, Sunset?" Celestia enquired hopefully.

"Promise. So, what did you wanted to ask about the princesses?" The young woman questioned.

Luna started. "My counterpart can raise and lower the moon and walk in the dreamworld, right?" Sunset nodded. "Hm…” She thought about this bit of information. The lunar knight made her first steps concerning dream related magic. A similarity. But something didn’t feel right, “You explained why and how my counterpart got mad, but didn't her subjects were already thankful to her, because she took away bad dreams and made them more pleasant for the dreamer in question?"

"I think? I mean, they should, I'm not sure. From what I understood, Princess Luna's night was connected by the Ponies with evil and darkness, the unknown. So they connected her, as the ruler of the night, with evil, too, I fear. Or at least thought that she wasn't a good ruler or Pony as Princess Celestia to that time. That led to the problem that nopony visited the Night Court anymore and I can understand that this led to the feeling of being abandoned, what let her become resentful in the end. Only the Thestrali were unbroken supporter of her, but as I once explained when I went over the different tribes, they lived mostly in the night anyway. It is to this day pretty rare to see a Thestral during the day. They are more active under the moon in general," Sunset explained to the former vice-principal in a teacher-like voice.

Celestia and Luna were amused by this.

"I see. I can't say I'm really surprised that my counterpart reacted like she did. I can, of course, not really connect with her problems as a mortal human. If I brought the night and nearly everyone slept through it, well, I can't really fault the people for doing so. The night is the time of the day to rest for most, after all. Now, my question for you is... d-do you think I could be corrupted, too? If I'm not careful?" Luna asked nervously.

"I don't think so. You have nothing to do with Nightmare Moon in this world or any reason to bring 'eternal night'. You know that most sleep at night, because that's how it usually works and solely have to fear yourself if you are alone, in my opinion. As long as you have your sister at your side and us others, too, you shouldn't be in any immediate danger," Sunset assured with a kind voice.

"Sunset is right. We are here for you, Lulu. I believe in you. Together we can face all odds," Celestia promised warmly. Luna got wet eyes.

"Do you want to know anything on your own counterpart, Ms. Celestia?" the former CHS student wanted to know.

"You told us that you were her former student, but after she talked with you less and less and stopped giving you actual materials to study, you tried to learn more about the mirror on your own. When she found you in the forbidden archives, she released you as her student, believing you were too far gone for now and had to see the errors of your ways first before you could even be considered as her student again.”

“Consarn it! Look where ya’re goin’!” interrupted a certain blond haired teenager.

The trio looked questioningly at each other before they decided to observe the scene beneath the hill they were standing upon. Now it made sense why Applejack was angry.

She stood in the centre of the mess and shook her head in resignation. Snip, Snails and Derpy sat on their bottoms, all looking sheepishly and embarrassed at the cowgirl from different positions. Damaged small tabs were laying around and their contents, Apples for the most part, were distributed everywhere. Not all fruits survived the crash, smashed leftovers proved the loss.

Luna chuckled, “It seems our former students had a little work accident.”

Celestia rolled her eyes at her sister and put her focus on Sunset again. “There is indeed something I would like to know.”

The Phoenix Magic user averted her eyes from her friend’s plight as well. “If I can answer the question, sure.”

“Princess Celestia found Twilight Sparkle and I'm confident enough to think that she planned and searched already to find a 'Plan B' before Nightmare Moon would return from her banishment in the case you didn't see reason and understood what she was trying to tell you in time. That being said, Sunset, my biggest fear is now, and I want you to answer me truthfully. Did my counterpart... replace you?" Celestia asked, disheartened.

Sunset’s eyes widened at the implications, "What? No, no, no! Or at least, I hope not. I don't think so. Yes, I think that the princess first planned for me to become the Element of Magic in order to save her little sister, but she had to change her plans when it became apparent that my ambitious behaviour, arrogance and desire to become a princess got worse and worse. It was just natural to let me fall from grace, I guess. I never wanted to even try to befriend other Ponies, I saw them just as useless obstacles or eventual pawns to achieve my ultimate goal. I never had the right mindset to be fit to rule. Sadly, I noticed it much too late.”

She gave a hollow laugh. “And I'm so sorry for what I did to you. One of the reasons I bullied the students at CHS was that I wanted to show you, as my former teacher's counterpart, that I could be in charge, directly under your nose. I acted... like a petty filly. It was never your fault or the fault of the others what happened to me. It was all my doing, it all happened in Equestria.”

The former principal nodded in understanding, "Still, I think my counterpart made a lot of mistakes with the treatment she gave you, she expected too much without giving any explanations for the reason why. I may be biased because of my job, but I think that some lessons she tried to teach you would have been easier to grasp if you had more hints.”

Luna gave her own input with a sly grin, “Oh sister, is the pot calling the kettle? We both know that you just love to be cryptic about some topics and expected that our students had to learn and understand them on their own.”

Celestia decided to ignore her sister’s remark for the time being and continued to speak with Sunset, “And you had made enough faults of your own because of your ambitions. Your natural talent let you become prideful, from pride arised arrogance and arrogance nourished the idea that you should be a ruler to all Ponies of Equestria. Don't you think it's time for the both of you to meet and forgive on a common ground? Oh, and call me Celestia. I think you earned it." She gave a motherly smile.

"Y-Yes. I think you are alright. Thank you... Celestia." Sunset felt awkward addressing her former principal so informally. “B-but I’m not sure if I’m ready to meet the princess again. We didn’t part on particularly good terms.”

"I think there is something you should know. To make you understand how important it is to forgive and to stop living in the past. I had already my own phase as a 'Nightmare Moon' you might say," Luna expounded with a regretful look in her eyes.

"W-what?" Sunset thought she heard wrong.

"Just listen and you will understand..."

In the Canterlot hospital laid a new patient with a broken arm and concussion. The young woman drove with a car, but without a license, through Canterlot at 6 a.m in the morning. It was clear, after the report of the officer, that said girl was very drunk in the moment the accident occured. Luckily, nobody died.

"Luna! What were you thinking! Why were you doing this?! You nearly killed yourself in the car accident!" a young 20 years old Celestia asked in fury.

"Because you were always more loved by everyone! I always have to hear from all sides how great you are and how I should take an example from you! How I should be like you! That's the reason I did this, dearest sister," An angry 16 years old Luna screamed back.

"A-are you serious?!" The elder sibling felt lost. What did she mean?

"I mean that Cheerilee, Mayor Mare and all our other supposed to be 'friends' are hanging on your every word like it was ambrosia. And me?! I'm always left behind and do you know what's worse? You don't even see it! No matter what I do, you all see me as some little child that should stay at home and in the meantime you have all the fun!" Luna exclaimed in blind anger.

"B-But why didn't you talk to me? And how many times did you sneak out of the house like that!?" Celestia never knew!

"I lost count. 10-15 times? There were some people from my class who always went to their own club every saturday and I didn't knew them at first, but I didn't care. I found out that we had something in common and that was our mutual passion for stargazing, in opposite to a certain someone who always sleeps during the night and says no when I asked her if she wanted to watch with me. They told me how they went there every week and that they wanted to invite me. So I always took the car when you were sleeping and went to every party I could get a hold on.” the midnight blue teenager glared furiously at her older sister, “At least they cared! But you are just hear to cry about the car. It's always about you! I swear I-” Celestia hugged Luna tightly, tears streaming down her eyes.

It didn't feel right for Luna. Her sister was always a bastion of calm. Rumors claimed that it was impossible to bring Celestia out of her balance. Nothing could stop her, nothing could touch her, loved by students and teachers alike. A role model, gleaming like the sun itself. So why was she crying so hard? And why did Luna feel so... guilty?

"You stupid, stupid sister. I don't give a flying fuck about the car!" The injured girl wondered if the gates of Tartarus had just opened. Celestia, the figurehead of all what was right, had just cursed. "Oh Lulu, forgive me for ignoring you, please! I will be a much better sister for you from now on and talk with the others that we will take you with us in the future, I promise. What do you say, little sister? Do you take my hand in friendship once more?"

The injured girl tried to play it cool, her wobbling lips betrayed her, "Only when you make me my favourite food in the moment I come out of here. Hospital food is disgusting!"

The Lunar Magic user spoke softer than usual, "Do you understand now? Celestia always blamed me when we were younger and I always blamed her. We were so focused on what the other did wrong in our opinion and should be improved that it needed a car accident before we realized that we could have avoided a lot of grief and pain when we just talked with each other.”

“If you get the chance, Sunset, talk with the princess. I can promise you she is as much of a fool as you think of yourself. Give it a try, you won't regret it. Take a leap of faith and you will see," Celestia hoped that her former student took the story to heart... especially, because Luna is always extremely embarrassed about it.

"I think I can do that. Thank you very much, Celestia, Ms. Luna" Sunset wanted to hug the women, but didn't want to risk the lunar knight's wrath.

"Only Luna is fine.” That took the amber woman certainly by surprise. “Celestia once told me your real age. I think I can allow you to let the 'Ms.' part of my name slide," the woman allowed with a smug expression.

With a last tearful nod of her head, the former Unicorn made her way back. She had one, maybe two, friends who needed her now.

Twilight sat around in Sunset's room for some time now. The redhead said to her that she should wait here until she talked with the former principals. What should she do? What if Sunset reacted harshly and demanded from her and Midnight to fuse together entirely? Wait, could they even do that anymore?

"Calm down, Sparky. You start to hyperventilate, breath in and out like Cadence once taught us and relax," Midnight said calmly.

"But-"

"No 'buts'! We both know that Shimmer wouldn't do anything without your explicit permission. It's already annoying enough that I have to say such positive things about her to defend the one who opposed me. Seriously, when I said to you I would become your conscious I meant that more as a joke and now... look at us! I don't even get paid!" Midnight complained theatrically.

"Y-you're right. I shouldn't worry myself into a frenzy. I'm sorry Midnight," Twilight apologized.

The door opened and Sunset stepped into her room. "Alright, Twilight. I think you have to tell me something. I noticed how the portal you demonstrated was made out of the same magic you used as Midnight Sparkle during the Friendship Games, I felt it. Please, don't think you have to hide something from me. I will listen to your worries as a true friend should and won't judge. I promise. Besides, I'm not in the position to lecture you about how you should treat your other half," Sunset assured with a comforting smile.

"See? She doesn't plan to exorcise me it seems. No holy water," Midnight attempted to joke.

The lavender teenager sighed. “Alright. I will tell you everything, no more secrets concerning Midnight. It all started when we fought this giant plant..." Twilight started nervously.

The Arcane mage explained everything from the start, how Midnight pulled her into their mindscape when her magic didn't work and what kind of deal the twins made. She then continued to report about her time when she was unconscious and Midnight took over, what the spirit's abilities were and how she managed to unleash Spike's inner magic what granted him the ability to transform into his Dire Wolf form.

"... and that's pretty much everything important there is to tell about this topic. I swear! Midnight and I share a body and she is kind of my 'conscious' to find a fitting term to describe her position in the moment. She did nothing wrong since we made this agreement and I believe in her. Sunset, we both learned from our mistakes, trust me," Twilight pleaded.

"You said Midnight can take over your body in the case you are not conscious. Can she do that when you are actually there, too? Would it be possible for me to talk with her directly?" Sunset asked in a very curious manner.

"I don't know, Midnight?" Twilight asked her twin loudly.

"I think so? Yes, I'm sure that works, but only with your permission as long as you are in charge of the body. It is yours after all, the twin replied.

Why wanted Shimmer to talk with her?

"Midnight said that should be possible. How does it work exactly?" Twilight enquired curiously.

"Well, you will switch positions with me for the time being. You will be here in the mindscape and I'm in charge of the body for the duration of my talk with Shimmer. You can even force me to switch places with you again whenever you feel like it so that you will be back in control. And don't think I get soft here. I just tell you about it, because I don't want to give you both any reasons to distrust me or making you believe that I would try to take over," Midnight explained, the last part with a smug grin only Twilight could see.

"Can I switch with you at will, too? Or can only you do it?" Twilight asked her twin in her mind this time out of sincere scientific interest.

Midnight shrugged with the shoulders, "I don't know. Maybe? You would have to try it out," she answered honestly.

"OK, Sunset. It can be done, wait a second," Twilight informed her friend.

"Wait! We don't know if that works!" Midnight said warningly.

Why does Shimmer look at her like that? Oh.

"Are you Midnight Sparkle?" Sunset wanted to know. A serious expression graced her face.

"It worked! OK, I have to admit it feels very strange to be solely a magical spirit in the moment, talking about 'out-of-body experience', right?” Twilight giggled in excitement. “Amazing! It's so completely different to see my mind from within now in comparison from all the occasions you summoned me here! You even created and decorated yourself an own home here. Wait... is that Captain Smarty Pants? Oh my gosh, how cute!" Twilight couldn't contain herself.

Midnight blushed in the face what surprised Sunset.

"W-what? Oh, yes. Sparky is just incredible excited and doesn't know what she is talking about, no problem. So, you wanted to talk with me, Shimmer?" Midnight questioned, trying to sound bored, but she couldn't keep herself from showing curiosity in front of the girl.

"Hey!" Twilight exclaimed with puffy cheeks.

"Don't worry. I made peace with my 'evil side', too. I just wanted to meet you in person to make myself a picture from you. Tell me, Midnight, what are your plans for the future? Or do you really want to make me believe that playing the role of 'Twilight's conscious' is everything you ever want to do in life? There has to be more," Sunset elucidated.

Midnight gave the woman in front of her a mischievous smile, "What? Are you worried about your friend? That I will always be stuck at her side, even in her most intimate moments and participate in voyeurism of the most personal level in case Sparky finds someone she wants to have sexual intercourse with one day?" Sunset and Twilight both blushed, but calmed down after a few moments.

With a sincere and convinced tone both replied at the same time, "I wouldn't put it past you. I wouldn't put it past you." Now it was Midnight's turn to flush madly.

"Gross! I'm not some pervert! For your information. I can very well ignore when something happens here in the outside world and do my own thing, I can choose. I just didn't do that until now. Or rarely. For example, I don't need to witness how Sparky does her private businesses. Thank you very much! It's boring and the reality is much more interesting.

But to answer your question seriously this time, I will manage. It's not like I can have my own body or something like that," Midnight confessed sourly.

"Midnight..." Twilight was sad and felt bad for the dark angel.

"I'm not only worried about my friend. I'm worried about you, too," Sunset admitted with an awkward smile.

"What?" Midnight queried in disbelief, she was sure she heard the young woman wrong.

"From what Twilight told me and from what I see and feel in this moment, you are no longer some mad and power-hungry being anymore who wishes to destroy the entire world and erase all life in extension just to satisfy your thirst for knowledge in the arts of magic. You don't have to force yourself to become friends with others, but I just wanted to tell you that you're not alone. You have Twilight and now me, too. I'm sure when we explain everything in peace and quiet the others will forgive what happened in the past and see that you are actually much nicer than you might want to think yourself," Sunset answered with a honest and caring smile this time.

"D-don't think I suddenly want to be a part of your little group because of some nice words. It doesn't work like that! I appreciate your worries, Shimmer, but I will decide for myself if I want to be all buddy-buddy with you or not. Understood?" Midnight demanded to clarify.

"Don't be so stubborn! Making friends is not so bad as you think it is. Join the dark side, we have books!... T-that's clearly Pinkie Pie's dark influence! We both know I'm not like that. Am I going crazy? Fast, ask me something difficult!" Twilight shouted in panic.

"Nope! I won't let you live that down, sorry Sparky. And you are not crazier as usual, don't worry," Midnight replied in her head.

"Thanks, I guess?"

"You will come around, I'm sure of it. But I won't tell anybody about you as long as that won't be necessary, so that you can do everything at your own pace. I even Pinkie Promise. Cross my heart, hope to fly. Stick a cupcake in my eye." Sunset finished the motions for the pact.

"Are you kidding me? What is a ‘Pinkie Promise’? Why should I trust you suddenly more only because you made these embarrassing motions?" The magical twin felt like talking with a toddler all of the sudden.

"To be honest? I don't know, I think it's a little silly, too. I just did it, because it came into my mind and I thought it would fit the situation. The girls said I could never break a Pinkie Promise or I would lose a friend-"

"FOREVER!" Pinkie Pie shouted, in a for her very uncharacteristic dead serious voice, after she opened the doors of the wardrobe, however that was possible and scared the daylights out of the others.

Luckily for the household, Twilight's screams of terror were only possible to hear for Midnight. She wondered, was it possible to go deaf from a voice in your own head? It was certainly worth a thought.

"Pinkie Pie! What in Luna's mane were you doing in the wardrobe?!" Sunset asked forcefully.

"Well, duh! To make a dramatic entrance of course!" Pinkie replied in a ‘isn't-that-obvious’ kind of voice.

"I can already feel how my neurons are dying alone from listening to the words you are saying," Midnight commented dryly.

"Silly Midnight, that makes no sense! Yes, I kind of heard your conversation, sorry. But don't worry, I won't tell a soul about you, even if I think you should totally do that. I'm sure you could be the best of friends with Sour Sweet, she is bipolar, too. Believe me when I say that we will have tons of fun at the party! Now, good night!" Pinkie Pie assured happily before she left the room with a spring in her step.

"I... but... she... and then... wardrobe... no door... sanity... what?" Midnight hoped her twin wouldn't get a conniption.

"I think that is enough for today. Tomorrow we have to help Moondancer with her ideas for whatever she wants to construct. So as long as you don't want to watch me changing out of my clothes you can go. And it was nice to meet you, Midnight." Sunset declared the day for finished.

She was tired.

"Twilight is pretty out of it because of your friend. So I think I will gladly stand here and look how you strip off your clothes," Midnight replied, grinning. She hoped that this idea would let Twilight snap out of it.

"Maybe she waited there already before Midnight and I came into the room? Maybe she thought it would be funny to scare us. Wait! Nightmare Night is only in a few months. But what is if-" It was worth a shot.

The magical spirit put her focus back on Sunset. "Well, that didn't work. Do you have an idea how... uhhhhh-"

Midnight couldn't continue, the presented view was much to distracting. In front of her stood Sunset Shimmer without a care in the world, in her birth suit.

"I could have sworn I put my pajama onto the bed... hm? Oh, you are probably wondering why I'm naked. Sorry, I thought it wouldn't matter to you, because, well, you are a girl, too," Sunset defended herself, slightly embarrassed, facing the other teen and offering Midnight the full view for free.

"How can she be blessed with such a killer body! That’s so not fair!" Midnight ranted jealousy.

Sunset groaned exhaustedly, "Look, Midnight. In the moment I came to this world I got maybe the body of a female human with everything what that entails, much to my frustration. However, I came from a world of magical talking Ponies where I was a Unicorn. We normally don't wear any clothes in Equestria and it's just how it is. I mean, if Pegasi fly above you, you can see theoretically pretty much everything, but nopony cares for such things. Catching a glimpse of somepony's nether regions is just something that happens on occasions, a tail doesn't cover a Pony's backside in every single situation you know. What I want to say is that you have to understand that I didn't develop this insanely strong feeling of shame or the desire to hide my body like normal humans during my time here. I just wear clothes, because it gets cold otherwise and it's expected from me by your society to wear them as a human. Again, sorry if I made you uncomfortable, that wasn't my intention at all. Well, we will see us tomorrow then when we help Moondancer. Good night," the former Unicorn had at least an apologetic smile.

"G-good night," Midnight responded simply.

She left Sunset's room and stood on the floor, trying to process the pictures.

"OK. OK... in... and out... I'm fine again. Sorry, I'm sure you and Sunset tried to snap me out of it, but I didn't react. I will apologize to her tomorrow for my rude behaviour. And I see you left the room! So, did I miss anything important? Midnight? Are you... huh?" Twilight felt lost, why was she suddenly in charge of the body again?

"Midnight? Are you alright? Did you both had a disagreement?" Twilight asked worriedly. No response.

Twilight started to walk to her room, she wondered why her twin didn't answer the questions. In fact, Midnight didn't say a word until the next morning. Much to the irritation of a certain scholar.

Author's Note

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

The Adepts know Fluttershy's name! :pinkiegasp: :raritydespair: That being said, praise the sun!

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 18 - Mundane Insanity

Punisher Vyndrak wasn't happy. Not at all. No, he. Was. Livid! Not only managed some intruders, teenagers no less, to escape and were somehow able to kill a Terrorbeast, but the created Soul Prisons seemed to be destroyed, too! The materials to construct them were extremely expensive and hard to create!

Filthy Rich cowered in front of the punisher who walked slowly like a predator before pouncing its prey from the left to the right, up and down in front of the newly built shrine to honor their lord, master and savior, Damnation Seeker Khom.

It was built out of an unnatural black metal, Devil's Desire. Filthy heard rumors that this ore could cause incredible painful mutations on people, animals and plants alike which were exposed to the metal for too long without being able to wield demonic magic on their own beforehand, like the Demon fire he received from the punisher. Or weren't demons in general.

Even with the ice blue mask on, it was unmistakable that his superior was furious about the recent events. Filthy Rich just hoped that he wouldn't lose his head, or worse, his soul.

"Partner... do you have anything to say for yourself? Anything at all? I just came back after only two days of absence and I'm already informed about failures from you? Wasn't I always nice to you? Helped you to achieve greatness? Should I take your hand the next time?" Vydrak grumbled inaudibly to himself before he continued, "After I prepared and ordered more of our troops and demons to pass the portal and filled out a lot of paperwork for the necessary materials to fortify our position here and to construct buildings to live and, much more important, torture in, you already brought me into a dilemma.”

“I’m sincerely sorry and want to apologize for my mistake. Please forgive me,” Filthy begged pathetically.

Vyndrak snorted in distaste. “This base was to be kept a secret for a much longer time, now we have to improvise and worse these humans have surely informed Ponyville about us. We have to act as fast as possible, especially because the Soul Prisons are destroyed and without them we have no possibilities to broadcast our mind control spell from here. That means first citizens may have left the town already.”

The businessman calmed himself and showed more courage, “Give me any order you want. I won’t disappoint you ever again. I can assure you that.”

“Oh! How noble of you. Did you know that I even thought about a name for this little outpost? Would you like to know it? Hint, denying my request will lead to immediate suffering and eventual crippledom.” He chuckled darkly. “But please, go on, deny my request. I'm bored," Vyndrak dared smugly.

"I-I would like to h-hear the name, Mr. Vyndrak" Filthy Rich stammered fearfully.

"Mr. Vyndrak? Mr. Vyndrak?! Do you know, partner, what happened to the last soul which called me Mr. Vyndrak?" He asked the shaking salesman. Filthy denied, fearing the answer. "I can't tell you... because... nobody called me like that since I own my position as a Punisher. It's always the same, I tell ya. People always say things like: 'Please, stop!' or 'You monster!' or 'Master Vyndrak, how was your latest torture session?'. You know, the normal stuff. But 'Mr' Vyndrak? I don't think so, that’ a new one. Oh and the name of our new base is 'Jormun' by the way," Vyndrak informed happily.

His mood swings and change of attitude worried Filthy Rich greatly.

"Mr. Vyndrak, I understand that you are furious. I underestimated the troll shaman. I didn't know that she had so many different tonics on her person. She used a mixture that blinded the Frost Hounds and me and the second created the worst smell that let even the demons run away. I had to burn down my old suit and wash my hair for hours, literally. Next time this shaman won't be this lucky and the teenagers will pay, too. Everyone who opposes us will suffer," Filthy stated with a promising smile.

Vyndrak made a dismissing movement with his left hand. "Arrogance will be your downfall if you are not careful, Mr. Rich. It happened to countless beings before you and you certainly won't be the last either. No! We have a timetable to uphold, orders from the higher-ups, you see? We will invade Ponyville and take all souls by force, you hear me?! Every single soul will be ours, old people, sick people, healthy people, young people, men, women, hermaphrodites, adults, teenagers, children, babies, pregnant mothers with unborn babies. Everyone who looks intelligent enough for you to have more than two brain cells, human or not."

"When will the attack start?" Filthy enquired with hidden dread.

"Three days. In three days we will erase Ponyville from the map and everyone who dares to defy our will. The Adepts of Khom will prevail so that we will one day summon our great lord to this plane of existence. Now, make yourself useful. Train your abilities, pray to our lord, help with building Jormun, summon more demons for our invading force or when you are bored, just kill yourself. Now, get out of my sight before I decide to eliminate you for your failure, partner," Vyndrak warned neutrally.

Filthy ran immediately through the portal and decided to help with constructing the outpost to his superior's desires.

"Pathetic human. He follows my every wish like a slave instead of trying to stand up for himself. At this rate he will never climb up in our glorious organisation. Why do people these days have no real backbone anymore? Something better than peons is truly hard to find." Vyndrak summoned his trusty scythe, Soulcutter, and gazed in the direction of Ponyville. He already imagined all the delicious screams his victims would make.

In his usual powerful, but now very dark sounding and echoing demon voice, Vyndrak whispered quietly, filled by madness, for nobody to hear, "Soulcutter hungers for your souls, inhabitants of Ponyville. May your gods have mercy on them before I rip them out of you."

"Indeed," another smooth and deep female voice agreed.

"Ah, you arrived. Makara. Tell me, Beast Tamer, did you find any refugees in the Ruins of Canterlot or its surrounding environment on your patrol?," Vyndrak asked with his normal voice again. He turned around to face the Dark elf.

Said woman had an unreadable smile on her lips, "Oh, yes. I found enough food for my pets in earlier hunts so I keep the latest addition to my prisoners for my amusement and to talk with them to fill my time. I found them between Canterlot and Cloudsdale. It's a small family of three people who wanted to look for their fourth member after they heard about Canterlot. The son told he how they were in Cloudsdale for whatever reason. I guess that's the reason these weaklings survived Canterlot in the first place and whatever attacked there. Their reactions whenever I tell them that I found their daughter and killed her are just too funny to watch.”

Vyndrak raised an eyebrow at that. Normally Makara was always disappointed by most of what she found. “Is that so?”

“He always gloats how his sister would bring me to justice or something like that. I would really like to meet her, just so that I can make her scream in agony. And before you are angry with me, I caught more than enough humans and sent them through the gate as sacrifices for our great master," Makara explained, bored.

"Finally someone who doesn't fail. Filthy Rich has still so much to learn. He lost and now the inhabitants of Ponyville will surely be warned about us because of the escaped humans and this troll shaman he told me so much since I returned to this place. But back to a lighter topic for now, what is the name of this infamous sister? Maybe we will meet her and you can bring the family her head for real the next time," Vyndrak asked, cackling like a maniac.

A single word was said in anticipated excitement, "Fluttershy."

Sunset awoke at the same time like usual since they lived, without having a real choice, on Sweet Apple Acres. Normally, she would start the day very early, like everybody on the farm, but because of the project Twilight, Moondancer and she were participating in, it didn't matter. The knowledge she would try to teach wouldn't care less anyway if it was shared when the sun painted freshly the sky in the colors of a new dawn... or two to three hours later.

During her days as former protégé she blamed Princess Celestia when the sun awoke her with its first rays, but then she remembered that this wasn't Equestria. She grumbled.

And the alternative to starting the new day was tempting. In the end her inner devil, 'Devil Sunset', wrestled its counterpart, the inner angel, into submission. Gagged and helpless, 'Angel Sunset' could only watch in desperation when her evil twin sister whispered treacherous words into 'Neutral Sunset's' ears, poisoning her mind with evil.

It was decided.

She would continue to sleep for a little longer. The Phoenix Magic user embraced the consequences deliberately.

That must be the freedom of the mentor. The pupils had to structure their timetable after the tutor and not the other way around. She was always a most eager student during her time as Princess Celestia's prized personal pupil. The tables had turned, Sunset Shimmer was now the teacher, sharing her... teachings? No, wisdom! Yes, wisdom sounded about right. She had made enough experiences, bad as good, in her life to back up her claims.

She read about it as a filly and the book said that wisdom would correlate with somepony's age. So who could really blame her, at this day, innocent mind?

Her former mentor once said when she asked her how Princess Celestia was always so wise and knew exactly what to do and if it had to do with the fact that she was so incredibly old: "Wisdom is no matter of age, but experience."

Yeaaaah, as a young innocent Pony Sunset Shimmer's curiosity knew no boundaries and voiced her opinions without restriction.

Nopony was safe from her bluntness. Nopony! On a second thought, the monarch's face was priceless when she asked that question.

Lucky for her the Alicorn rarely laughed this amused before in all the time Sunset knew Princess Celestia. In the moment Sunset asked, the princess' secretary entered the room to provide the duo with fresh cups of tea, to this point fairly new in her position and looked like Sunset just committed the highest degree of blasphemy. The human turned Unicorn wondered if Raven Quill was still in her position after all this time.

She missed the old mare. The magician sighed in nostalgia and a little homesickness.

Of course she would like to start their lessons as early as possible to make as much progress as possible, buuuut she had a lot of fun at the finally organized and executed party thrown by Pinkie Pie, helped the Apples with cleaning afterwards and hit the hay pretty late. In other words, she deserved to rest and Twilight and Moondancer could wait a little longer.

Devil Sunset was right.

"Rarity would agree with me. She would say something like: 'Darling! A lady most certainly needs her beauty-sleep.' I had so much to think about after our meeting until the party started that I just want to relax for a bit before I have to worry about everything again. At least for now," Sunset thought tiredly and chuckled at her own jab at the fashionista's mannerism.

The door was ripped open, "Sunset, wake up! Are you ready to start our magic lessons!? Did I already miss something? There is so much for us to find out! Today we will dive into a to mankind, present Unicorn aliens excluded, unknown research area! Isn't that exciting?!" Twilight screamed into the room in sheer eagerness.

"I should have known..." the amber skinned magician mumbled inaudibly into her pillow, annoyed.

Maybe if she acted like she was still asleep, or dead, her friend would go away? Ponyfeathers. Who was she kidding? That was Twilight Sparkle she was talking about.

"Twilight! Good morning! I see we had the same idea. Did you try to wake her up already?" Moondancer enquired equally energized. The teenager let herself in as if she owned the room.

"Am I the only one here who wants so use this one chance to sleep a little longer since our arrival on Applejack's farm?" Sunset asked herself with rolling eyes behind closed lids.

But hey, maybe they would accept that she was still 'asleep' and respected her desire to-

"SUNSET! WAKE UP!" both scholars shouted into her ears. One from the left and the other from the right side of her head, at the same time.

It brought the, nearly, desired effect for the science duo.

"Sweet holy Celestia!" Sunset exclaimed from shock and surprise and jumped up in her comfy bed.

Her two friends saw the error of their ways and blushed in embarrassment.

"Are you two nuts?!" the former Unicorn demanded to know with an angry expression upon her face.

"Yes. Yes, they are. And I found your reaction hilarious. Sparky here was telling me half of the night how we would write history today," Midnight added helpfully as always.

Twilight ignored her twin's snarky comment, "Oh my gosh! I'm so, so sorry Sunset! We just wanted to wake you up as early as possible so that we can start our lessons in magic. I didn't plan to scare you. I swear!" she assured panicky.

Sunset Shimmer gave them both a sweet smile, "Don't worry, you didn't scare me. I was just surprised. But now that you are here, I like to know one little thing." Her sweetness was replaced by a sour morning mood, "Why the hay are you already here at the crack of dawn?! I would have thought that most the reasonable people embraced their chance of sleeping in a little longer! Granny Smith permitted it!"

Her name was Sunset, not Sunrise. For reasons.

"After the meeting last night I noticed how much I was behind with my own magic in comparison to the others and talked with Twily about it when you were having your conversation with Ms. Luna and Ms. Celestia. These 'Adepts of Khom' sound extremely dangerous and we need to be prepared before they decide to strike Ponyville. This time with brute force. I need to do something! I have to help with my magic as good as possible. I want to make a difference," the Constructor Magic user declared with fire in her eyes.

The lavender teenager nodded in agreement, "Me too! I can use o-my Arcane Magic with the knowledge its awakening granted me, but otherwise I use magic, even the levitation spell, solely on instinct. I have no idea how the theory behind it looks like. So I need these magic lessons as much as Moondancer does, if I want to be able to use spells effectively. Or at least so that I can begin to better understand the mechanics behind something magic-related.”

She even asked their friends if they wanted to join them during the party yesterday, but Rarity and Applejack declined, saying basically that they had plans of their own for the day. But Fluttershy seemed oddly interested and, not so oddly, unsure what to do else. Pinkie said only she would have to ask her sisters first if they could handle the chores alone for the time being. She didn't understand why! Who wouldn't want to study magical theory?!

Twilight was frankly disappointed that some of their friends would miss their study session.

"To quote your chromatic friend to describe you in one word, 'egghead'. Seriously girl, you should know by now that they are not the most interested people on the topic of science, even the science of magic. Especially the theory part. Besides, I like it that you didn't plan a date where all of your five other friends have time. That means that we can learn without having to resist the urge to hit Rainbow Dash, because she sleeps and snores during the lessons.I know I would. Luckily she is on this mission today," Midnight explained analytically, being a tad glad.

"I'm not an egghead! And why do you always have to comment it when I speak about my passion of learning." the former CPA student enquired with an imagined deadpan.

"Because it is my job as your conscious to drive you insane with snarky commentaries and showing you the errors of your way. I love you, too," the dark angel answered smugly.

Twilight remained quiet and decided that she wouldn't dignify this comment in any shape or form with an answer.

Sunset saw how her friend looked like she spaced out and quiet displeased to boot, luckily Moondancer didn't, and she could already guess what, or more, who was responsible for her state.

"Come on, girls. We can't keep Midnight's presence a secret when you are this obvious," she thought nervously. Sunset had to do something, "You know what? I make you an offer." The Phoenix Magic user put a hand on Twilight's shoulder to get her attention, it worked.

"What do you have in mind?" Moondancer asked interestedly.

"Fast! Think of something." Then the crimson-yellow-haired girl had an idea, "You see, I feel still a little beat from yesterday. You know, the long trip back from White Tails, attacking trees, the whole meeting, the party. So how about we meet later at the barn the Apple's provided you with? But not yet. First, I need to strengthen myself now that I'm awake. Eating breakfast, having a nice cup of coffee and afterwards seeing the others off, before they are leaving for Ponyville," she argued hopefully.

"I have no problem with that, but I'm not hungry anyway. I will go and prepare my workspace before we start our lessons. That will be sooo amazing!" Moondancer squealed in barely contained excitement and left the room with Rainbow Dash worthy speed.

Sunset sighed in exhaustion before she glared at Twilight. She aimed actually for both inhabitants of Twilight's body, but focusing on a living being inside of another was difficult, "Girls! Both of you have to be much more careful if you talk with each other. Seriously, if I hadn't snapped you out of it, Moondancer would have noticed that something was off as well. In general it wouldn't be a problem at all, because spacing out happens to everybody every now and then, but not in your case. At least in that number."

Twilight was confused, "W-what do you mean?"

Sunset couldn't believe it that her friend never noticed her own behaviour, "Yesterday, during the party, Rarity approached me and asked if I knew if something was wrong or if you had a personal problem you didn't want to talk about. She didn't want to and I quote: 'Impose on your personal affairs, but worries greatly about your well-being as a friend'. She and the others noticed that you tended to daydream very much in the last three days whenever they talked to you, but put their worries aside and blamed 'stress', until now. But excuses for your behaviour will only work for so long before they'll confront you. Especially if more of the others, outside of the Rainbooms, notice it, too. Our friends are too polite, because they trust you and think that you'll come around to talk with them on your own accord. They are your friends and respect you enough to keep quiet about their observations, but that won't last for much longer. Now I know that Midnight is the reason for that in most cases, but soon the others will ask questions of their own," the magician lectured calmly.

"Huh. I didn't know we were this obvious. Or should I say, you? See, Sparky? Your acting skills are the worst!" Midnight exclaimed in amusement.

Twilight grimaced in embarrassment, "Are we really that obvious?"

"Yeah... sorry, Twi. I'm being honest with you. In many cases you are as bad as Applejack when it comes to lying to others. Or acting convincingly enough to fool someone for that matter without letting any doubts left. But I have to admit though, some of the faces you make, when you clearly talk to Midnight, are... interesting," Sunset replied with a knowing smirk.

Twilight groaned. "I wonder how many from the group already think that I lost it completely," the Arcane Magic user muttered gloomily.

Her amber friend squeezed the distressed girl's shoulder and shared a warm smile, "Don't worry too much about it. From what I heard, only our closest friends suspect that something is up. And it's not like you do it in every conversation. I never heard that someone else was wondering about it and they pay it most likely no mind anyway. Besides, if the others are giving you any trouble just call me and I will cook them medium."

To proof her point, Sunset lit up her right hand with tri-colored phoenix fire. She said it so serious that it was difficult to tell if the magician was truly joking or not.

Midnight added her own thoughts, "Baconhair is right, you know? Stop moping around and be happy with what you have. Before I came into your life you were a nerd without magic and your best friend was your, to this time, not speaking dog. Now you have real friends in your life, who accepted you for who you are and are trying to get to know you instead of burning you at a stake for nearly destroying the entire world and reality itself. You are, if not by much, less socially awkward and have me by your side. Sis, you have even your own brand of Arcane Magic flowing through your veins. Again, of course, thanks to me." The dark angel sounded proud.

"Was that your way of telling me how you would be there for me? Or did you only want to stroke your ego? Sunset clearly did a better job in showing her support, you know?" Twilight asked dryly.

"Do you question my intentions? I'm hurt!" She only wanted to joke about her twin's attitude to ease the situation, because Midnight hated it when Twilight doubted herself or fell into very negative moods.

And Midnight never claimed to be a social expert on cheering others up.

After all, an annoyed or furious dork was no depressed dork, right? At least the girl stopped making a face as long as a fiddle. And the scientist couldn't prevent herself from chuckling. Success!

"Are you feeling better now?" Sunset wanted to know with an unsure expression.

"Yes. Thanks, both of you. Well, I'm not sure with Midnight, but thank you, Sunset," Twilight responded slowly. Sunset laughed at her friend's tone.

"Hey!" Midnight shouted indignantly. She could be very helpful, if she so desired.

"I'm glad. So, what do you plan to do until we start?" came the chipper question.

"Eating a bite sounds good to me. Spike always tells me that I wouldn't eat enough. I'm serious Sunset, before he was able to talk I never could have imagined how serious he took his role as my number one assistant. I just assumed whenever he brought me some food on a plate on his head, before he was able to talk, that Spike was solely a very intelligent dog who listened well to mom whenever she prepared something for me and somehow managed to teach him to do it and not somebody who actually planned helping me like a talking person," Twilight informed in disbelief.

"He is certainly a perky and snarky little dog," Midnight added with a shaking head, but a warm smile on her features.

The trio sat half an hour later at the table in the kitchen and enjoyed a good breakfast. Granny Smith prepared them everything, despite their protest. The matriarch said that preparing food was her duty as a good host, it seemed the Apples' hospitality knew no bounds.

During her second piece of bacon, Twilight's eyes widened when she looked shortly at Sunset and saw her neutral expression.

She screamed in regret, realizing something she never thought about, "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, Sunset! How could I've been so thoughtless all these times!"

"What are you talking about?" Sunset asked absolutely baffled. What was going on? Midnight and Granny Smith felt the same.

The bibliophile pushed her bacon away from her as if it was poison, "You came from Equestria, a country of magical talking ponies. Herbivores! And here I am, eating meat in front of you without a care in the world. I never thought about your feelings before on that topic and-"

Her friend would have none of it, "Twilight, calm down! Yes, Ponies are herbivores and I eat only vegetarian food because of my heritage, but that's not the point. I accepted that humans eat meat a long time ago. I had years to come over my initial discomfort since I came to this world. It's no big deal anymore, really. In my homeworld live Diamond Dogs, dragons, Gryphons, minotaurs and many others. They eat meat, too. Of course I'm no fan of it, but that's just how it is. Many races need meat to survive, so I don't judge them for their eating habits. I'm not angry with you," Sunset assured firmly.

"Well. I guess she doesn't know that some humans even eat meat of horses and ponies on earth. Or at least Shimmy doesn't make the impression as if she knew about it," Midnight commented thoughtfully. She thought out loud by accident.

It was the wrong thing to say. Twilight was triggered anew.

She gasped, "Oh my gosh, you are right! She can NEVER know about it! Imagine all the terrible consequences that would follow. She would be absolutely disgusted by our race and maybe even decide to leave our world for good! Returning to Equestria so that we will never see her again-"

"Sparky-," Midnight started awkwardly.

Her twin continued without fail, "And what would Princess Twilight think? Would she and the other princesses declare war on us? Starting a campaign to free all equines from the oppressing hand of mankind? See us as savages? Monsters? The political consequences-"

"Twilight, seriously-" she tried again, more annoyed.

Twilight.exe wasn't available in the moment, "But I'm not ready to die! I just discovered my own magic and there is still so much to learn.” The magician gasped even louder in her mind, “How many libraries would burn in the conflict!? All the precious books! I mean-"

"Are you done?" Midnight enquired in boredom.

"Forget the so called 'zombie apocalypse'. We would have a 'pony apocalypse' on our doorstep! Where the faction wins which can shoot the strongest rainbow lasers powered by friendship! And they have so much more experiences with magic than us-"

"Twilight! Get it together!" the dark angel roared, now pissed off.

It worked.

"Sorry," the bookworm replied timidly.

Sunset felt like Twilight calmed down enough for now and focused instead on Granny Smith, "Where are Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo? I thought they were supposed to help you in the kitchen until everybody had something to eat before they started on the fields?"

The older woman chuckled and answered truthfully, "Yes, that was the case in them last days, but now the gals asked for... more challengin’ tasks and Ah agreed. They convinced Applejack and the other two as well. The fashion diva and the crazy blue one. In this moment they should help their big sisters with some of their chores. In the future those three can wander around on our property and beyond the farm, as long as they are under responsible supervision. Ah’m sure ya can understand.”

“Oh really? Last time we spoke about them our friends said that they wouldn’t let them out of their eyes or anywhere near any form of danger. I didn’t say anything in that regard, because I thought it wasn’t my place to judge how they handled their siblings. I must say I’m happy for them,” Sunset admitted sheepishly.

She could understand the young trio perfectly. If she was in their place and her 'older guardians' practically grounded her where 'it was safe', she would have done something more or less stupid to proof herself as dependable like everypony else, too.

Great, her earlier, arrogant and ambitious self came to her mind. Yes, she would have done something very boneheaded, indeed.

“Sorry that I overreacted Sunset. And thank you Granny Smith, that was a fantastic breakfast, like always.” Twilight said calmly after she performed the breathing exercise Cadance once taught her when the woman was her babysitter during her childhood.

The matriarch of the Apple family nodded in acknowledgement.

Twilight smiled strangely in her fellow magician’s direction, “But before we meet with Moondancer, there is something I completely forgot in my excitement and have to do first. I guess your idea with meeting later suits me well now." Awkward silence reigned supreme over the room. Even Winona laid her ears back, feeling that nobody knew what to say next. Granny Smith simply continued preparing food for next wave of hungry mouths who would arrive soon. "Well, I have to search for Shiny. I want to wish ou-my BBBFF good luck for Ponyville and I promised to help him a little bit with his work before he leaves. Levitation sure comes handy in many situations,” Twilight added proudly.

“Oh please! Shining just asked us to help him out with our magic so that he has more time to fool around with Cady before he has to leave. Didn’t you see the embarrassed, but slightly eager expression on his face? Instead of being honest with us, he searched for an excuse,” Midnight commented with rolling eyes.

“I didn’t need that information about our brother and Cadance, Midnight! Thank you very much!” Twilight exclaimed heatedly.

“Why does she always has to react like a virgin when it comes to such topics? It's not like it wasn’t obvious what he planned. Especially, because he always glanced in her direction when he asked us yesterday,” the dark angel thought to herself with a sigh.

“No problem Twilight. We’ll see us later,” Sunset responded with a smile on her own.

After the Arcane Magic user left the room Granny Smith started to chuckle, until she started to laugh loudly. It caught Sunset completely off-guard. Once she calmed down the older woman explained herself, “Ah wasn’t sure what to think about it at first, or if Iggy’s daughter tried to pull ma’ leg. That Ah think about it her slip of tongue when she first wanted to say ‘our’ instead of ‘my’ makes much more sense now. So she really has this Midnight gal inside of her?” Granny Smith asked, interested.

“W-what do you mean?” Sunset enquired with an unsure voice. Who was this 'Iggy'? And how was it possible that she knew about Midnight?! Only Twilight, Pin-oh... she facepalmed with a vengeance.

“Pinkie told you?” the magician asked dryly.

But why?! She said that she wouldn’t tell anyone!

“Darn tootin' she did! She came to me this mornin’ and asked if Ah knew a place on Sweet Apple Acres where she could celebrate with a very, in her words, ‘small and secretly invited’ group and have an eventual party for a ‘new, shy and mostly unknown friend, should this secret friend choose to come out of the close’.” Sunset groaned at the poor choice of words. Sometimes she really wasn’t sure if Pinkie Pie said such things on purpose or really didn’t know the ambivalent meaning of half the things the girl said, “Ah said Ah wouldn’t tell her anythin’ until she was spillin' the beans. Ah don’t let any strangers on ma’ property anymore these days. We have to be much more careful with all them strange folks creepin' around. She summed up the story of this new Midnight gal for me and begged me to forgive the youngin's past misdeeds like her life depended on it and Ah promised Ah wouldn’t tell nobody. But it’s not ma’ business, nor ma’ story to tell anyway,” Granny Smith explained in a matter of fact.

“Pinkie Pie...” Sunset pinched the bridge of her nose, surrendering to the party planner’s antics, "I must confess I'm surprised that you took it so well. I think you surely know by now about the Friendship Games and what happened with Twilight. I would have thought the revelation of having Midnight Sparkle under your roof the whole time might enrage you after what happened during the last competition."

“Don't misunderstand me missy. Ah'm still mighty upset about what happened in them games and what part she played in it. For land's sake it nearly cost ma' granddaughter's life. Still, Ah don't see a reason why Ah shouldn't give her a chance of turnin' for the better. And Ah’m sure y’all planned to keep it a secret for now and that Pinkie had to stay quiet, too. Don’t be too hard on her, the youngin' meant well. Ah think the gal is cleverer as most give her credit for. She said somethin’ about ‘didn’t makin' a Pinkie Promise on purpose' so that she could ask me for ma’ blessin' to hold a future welcome party and to help easin' others up to a new friend. But heed a well-meant advice and be careful whom y'all tell about yer new friend. Enough people will question and fear y'all, or worse, if they knew that Midnight is a part of the group and that she's real as a timberwolf." The matriarch smiled and shook her head proudly. "Ma' granddaughter sure has special friends and this distant and cheerful cousin of hers is the icing on the apple cake.”

"Wait what?! Applejack and Pinkie Pie are cousins? Seriously?!" The magician wasn't sure how to feel about this new revelation.

"Eeyup! Ah'm sure neither of them know anythin' about it either. What reminds me, Ah sure hope that Goldie Delicious is still kickin'. She's a member of our family and knows anythin' about the Apple family tree. Y'all youn' folks would call her a 'crazy old cat lady'. But Goldie is not only a hoarder of all kinds of items and heirlooms, but secrets of our family as well." Granny Smith smiled as if she remembered something funny before she added,"Oh and if ya ever have the wish to meet Goldie, be careful around her cheetah, Mr. Fluffles. Ah don't trust these hungry eyes, goddess knows what ma' cousin sees in that giant cat."

The Phoenix Magic user felt truly honored that Granny Smith shared this bit of information about Applejack's family with her, intentionally or not. Sunset wasn't always sure when the woman was rambling, if she was somewhere else with her mind or full in the moment at hand. Sunset had no idea what to think about the fact that an old lady owned a real cheetah as a pet.

She sighed in defeat, “I think you are right. I really have no reason to be angry or disappointed by Pinkie Pie. It was her way of slowly easing up the others to Midnight Sparkle’s existence. Beginning with persons like you, who never met her before in person and were only told about the events. But as you said, it’s not our secret to tell. Twilight and Midnight have to take the first step themselves. They need to have faith in the others. Specially our friends...” She chuckled slightly, “I really don’t know why I’m surprised. It’s Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie, again. However, I wouldn’t want her any other way. Her behaviour and antics make her to the person we all know and love,” Sunset stated warmly, facing the ground.

The magician looked back up at Granny Smith just to see... fear? No, uncertainty in the grandmother’s eyes.

“Is something wrong?” the young woman asked worriedly. Why the sudden change of mood?

“Ah want that ya promise me to look after ma’ grandchildren in ma’ place. Especially Applejack, she was always too stubborn for her own good, even for an Apple. Promise me that Ah can count on ya,” the grandmother pleaded.

“Huh?” Sunset commented dumbfounded. OK. She didn’t expect that.

“Let me explain. Since these whole magic shenanigans started, Ah had to watch, helplessly, how the world Ah knew ceased to exist. Should the next new magical vermin come to Sweet Apple Acres Ah have to count on y’all to protect this useless old woman.” Granny Smith laughed bitterly, “Ma’ prime is behind me and there are times Ah feel ma’ age in them old bones. Before everythin’ started Ah was the proud grandmother who cared for her grandchildren and protected them. An honest Apple to the core. Now... Ah’m just a useless old hag. Don’t look at me like that youn’ lady, Ah mean it. Ah’m not able to grant ma’ own kin protection any longer and this truth hurts somethin’ fierce."

She looked gratefully at the fiery girl, "But then Ah see ya, one of ma’ daughter’s best friends. A gal with a big heart, a strong will and a mighty fine head on her shoulders. Do ya have any idea how it was in ma’ youth? When we youngin’s had any good ideas, or wanted to bring us in, the grown ups smiled politely and pretty much told us to let the adults handle everythin’ important. Ya own age suddenly became yer greatest enemy, because people around ya didn’t give ya any credit. Because ya didn’t have them life experiences. In most cases this foolish behaviour was maintained until today, but then Ah meet ya, Sunset Shimmer...”

Granny Smith gave the young woman a respectful nod, “A youn’ whippersnapper, whose opinions and thoughts are always taken seriously and into account before further steps are planned, from adults and kids alike. Them principals, ya fellow students, friends and everyone else value yer words. From what Ah understood ya’re the most experienced with this magic mumbo jumbo from all of us, so it makes sense to ask ya for advice and help. But it goes beyond that in yer case. Ah’m maybe old and partly anile on bad days, but Ah listen closely, even if it doesn’t look like it. The others talk a lot about ya in yer absence and Ah can assure ya it’s positive what they have to say. Believe it or not, ya’re a leader of our group. An incarnated beacon of hope for the others, who look up to ya for different, personal reasons, Ah reckon. But most importantly, ya’ve the strength to backup yer claims, the necessary intelligence and powerful magic which induces fear in yer foes and respect in yer allies."

"I-I didn't know what to say, or if I'm really worthy of such praise," Sunset said silently.

Granny Smith chuckled knowingly, "Don't ya worry none and continue doin' what you're doin'. Applejack trusts ya with her life, she’ll always stay at yer side and fights alongside ya. She believes in ya. The same goes for the rest of yer friends. Them gals from the fancy private school would follow yer lead, too. The principals are seen as the figures of authority around here and even they ask for yer advice. If that aren’t serious hints on how ya’re perceived then Ah’m a pear farmer. So Ah ask again, do ya’ll protect ma’ kin in ma’ stead?” the matriarch she finished her plead for help.

Sunset was simply stunned. She never knew that the others held her in such high regards, the human turned Unicorn only did what she thought was right and necessary in a specific situation. Nothing more. And hearing an elder like Granny Smith complimenting the magician like that reminded her of her times under Princess Celestia’s tuition, but with an important disparity.

During her younger days as a filly she took praise for granted at one point in her life. Seeing herself as superior to others because of her position as the ruler’s personal student alone and many Ponies solely as tools. To be used for her own agenda. Nowadays, such kind words made Sunset feel proud on herself and wanted, but not in a negative way. No, they gave her an inner warmth of accomplishment and success. She took everything in a humbler manner.

“I-I don’t know what to say, really. Except maybe... thank you? I feel honored that you think so highly of me, Granny Smith and I’ll try to proof your hopes right. You have my word that I will look out for your family as good as possible under these circumstances and that I have an eye on Applejack to stop her from getting herself into trouble because of her stubbornness,” Sunset promised seriously at the end. The pair shared a good chuckle at the young cowgirl’s expense.

“Ah can’t ask for more. Thank ya kindly, youngin’. You put a fair share of ma’ worries to rest.” The oldest Apple was truly grateful.

Granny Smith started to clean the dishes and Sunset helped vigorously, much to her host’s discomfort.

After a short silence, the older woman voiced her musings, “Ya know, sometimes ya’re carrying ya’self, talk and act like ya’re more than a simple teenager. Ya show a level of maturity Ah never saw before from a gal yer age. How old are ya in pony years? Ah reckon ya aren’t aging like equines around here.”

Sunset smiled in response like she just discovered a hidden joke, “Well, to be honest, I found out that this is another similarity between our worlds. We Ponies can reach an age similar to humans or even much more. A Pony can become to 90 years old, but it was documented that it’s always different from case to case. Around decades. I read during my studies in the castle that some Ponies managed to reach the age of 180 years. The reason is unknown, but I think the inner magic of a Pony is somehow responsible, because I don’t think that a healthy way of life alone prolongs somepony’s lifepsan up to 90 years.” The Equestrian word made her listener chuckle in amusement.

“It’s pretty remarkable. I asked the princess once if she knew any Ponies who managed to become this old and she answered that she knows an old mare who was going for the 190 years. She founded the Equestrian version of Ponyville and was a farmer of some sorts, if I remember correctly. Sorry, I tend to ramble sometimes when I can talk with others about to me important topics like my homeworld." Her smile widened, "I’m actually 26 years old, but for some reason the mirror transformed me into a little girl when I came to this world.”

A plate shattered upon contact with the floor.

“Hold the fort as long as we are gone, OK? I know it will be hard without my support and awesome skills, but I’m sure you’ll manage,” Rainbow Dash boasted with a confident grin.

“I’ll miss you too, Dash,” Sunset replied with a shaking head.

“We are counting on you,” Shining Armor stated encouragingly.

They were all prepared and ready to go. Luna, Celestia, Igneous Rock, Shining Armor, Cheerilee and Rainbow Dash, the group's hope rested upon their shoulders. That the hot-tempered 'Rainbow Patient Dash', how she called herself during the meeting, was a member of this important delegation caused for more than a few restless nights for the students who only knew the bragging, borderline arrogant side of the girl. Nightmares of battles between the most extreme fractions in Ponyville and them raged, because Rainbow Dash messed up. Scenarios in where she insulted their leaders or challenged them prevented the concerned individuals from having a peaceful sleep.

Most already bid their goodbye and went on with their own business elsewhere. Still, there were a few who saw them off. Cadance, Cloudy Quartz, Limestone, Sunset, Sunny Flare, Fluttershy and Applejack stood with at least one member of the diplomatic team in some distance to each other, talking before the others’ departure.

“Well, as long as you don’t mess up, Mr. Paladin,” Sunny joked smilingly. She received a slight glare from the mage.

“Take care. Don’t let them provoke you. Many of them are driven by fear and distrust, they will most likely act unreasonably,” Cadance advised.

“Don’t worry Cady. We will do our best to prevent any sort of conflict between our parties,” Celestia promised in a soothing tone.

“Are thou sure that thou want to fare on this mission? If so, then I shall attend for thine return,” Cloudy Quartz asked her faithful husband. He gave her a grim nod of his head.

“Take care, da-father. Don’t push yourself too hard. Now that I think about it, maybe I should come with y-” Limestone couldn’t finish her sentence, because Igneous Rock hugged his daughter firmly and lovingly for at least half a minute.

It surprised the strong-willed Pie Sister immensely, her father was normally very reserved when it came to showing affection. Especially in public. It was rare that he displayed his fatherly feelings so openly.

“Thou shall not worry, Limestone Angelica Pie. I require thou on my behalf and position on Mrs. Smith’s farm. I shall be on my guard and during mine absence thou and thy sister, Maudalina, are bestowed with the task to ward the family. And have an eye upon Pinkamena. She means well, but her eagerness to bestead her friends without any effective combat magic of her own could end badly for thy sibling. I trow in thou and thy abilities,” Igneous Rock assured with faintly uplifted corners of his mouth.

“You can count on me,” his daughter replied dutifully.

“Ya’re sure that ya want to go? We don’t need any more trouble at Sweet Apple Acres,” Applejack said innocently.

Fluttershy played nervously with a strand of her hair, “She’s right, Rainbow. Oh! Not with the trouble you could cause. Uhm, I mean, I’m worried about you. I just don’t want something awful happening to you. We could wash the animals together. I’m sure that Muhriella would love to get cleaned, like the rest of the cows. This time I won’t let Mr. Snake scare the poor dears, he can be a little grumpy and scary-looking with his black scales. We were lucky that the small stampede was stopped by Applejack." She tried to reason with her childhood friend one more time, "But only if you don’t mind.” Fluttershy really tried.

She thought more about the strange snake, "I swear he had to be a strict and mean teacher in some earlier life. He always tries to lecture Angel Bunny and the other critters when they did something wrong in his opinion. Strangely, I see him always where Zecora is. It’s like he’s interested in seeing her making potions for some reason, but when I ask him about it he gets depressed."

“It sure was strange. After Ah used ma’ Aspect of the Minotaur the cows calmed down immediately. Ah haven’t the foggiest why that happened,” Applejack admitted thoughtfully with crossed arms.

She could have sworn some cows looked at her like no bovine should look at a human being.

Aspect of the Minotaur gave Applejack not only similar to her Aspect of the Mammoth much greater strength, but granted the Esper Magic user a greater boost in stamina and a passive skill named Dominance. It was a skill helpful for herding wild animals, because the magic creating this ability worked on a primal level and only animals and beings with higher connection to nature itself could sense the effect. It pretty much told the critters that Applejack was an 'alpha', who shouldn't be challenged.

She sprinted in front of the stampede and let her ability free reign. The cows stopped immediately after feeling the magician's dominant aura.

“You, too?! What is it with people and believing I would mess up in Ponyville?!” Rainbow Dash demanded to know, clearly annoyed and a little hurt.

Sunset noticed the chromatic girl’s tone, “Calm down, Rainbow. We are just pulling your leg. I’m not sure how it is with the others, but I’m sure everyone from the Rainbooms believes in you. We are your friends, through thick and thin, always remember that,” Sunset reminded convincingly.

Fluttershy and Applejack looked ashamed to the ground for a few seconds, before they decided to support their friend’s claim as sincere as possible, fire in their eyes.

“She’s right, Sugarcube. Ah wasn’t sure why ya wanted to go, but when that’s what ya’re wanna do, then by all means, Ah’ll support ya! And that’s the honest truth,” the farmer declared determinedly.

Her body illuminated and a ponytail, as an extension of her hair and orange pony ears came to be, like always when one of the girls transformed. But this time something else appeared additionally on the girl and two glowing lights of orange magic signaled the friends where to look.

“Applejack? Your hips are glowing...” Rainbow Dash commented dryly.

The young Apple looked down and around so that only she and her friends could see what had to be seen. And because she didn't want to show her exposed hips to others. She pulled up her shirt a little with one hand and her blue jeans skirt upwards with the other. What they saw let four jaws drop significantly. On both hips was the identical picture of three red apples.

“What in tarnation is goin’ on?!” Applejack whispered agitatedly, only for her friends to hear. She didn’t need it that everyone else wanted to take a look upon her bare hips.

“Sunset, do you know what just happened?” Fluttershy asked with a blush.

She just noticed how long and concentrated she stared on the naked hips of one of her best friends without to blink.

“I can’t believe it!” the questioned magician exclaimed in the same quiet volume, “You just got your Cutie Mark! Princess Twilight told me all about your counterparts and how their Cutie Marks looked like and this is clearly the one belonging to your Pony counterpart, Applejack. Hmm... It certainly fits from the position, the hip is the equivalent of a Pony’s flank after all. I was always curious why our transformations only included some abridged form of ‘ponytail’, ears and Pegasi wings, but no Unicorn horn or something else Pony related. Or at least a fitting feature to the specific tribe of the own counterpart, that is if a human had one in Equestria. Except the Pegasi. That’s incredible!” Sunset was rarely this excited before since she discovered that Equestrian Magic caused her friends’ transformations.

“Uhm, when it doesn’t stop at Cutie Marks, how much further could the transformation go?” The Druid Magic user sounded interested and to her friends’ surprise, hopeful?

Fluttershy already pictured herself and her friends as Equestrian Ponies. If the process would go further, as she secretly wished and it ended with the situation that they were able to Pony up completely at will, she could always ask one of her friends to transform into a huggable little Pony so that she was able to cuddle with adorable small equines to her heart’s content.

“That’s a very good question. I have to write Princess Twilight at some point. She really needs to know about everything that happened on Terra.” There was always something that prevented her from writing to the Princess of Friendship. The book had hopefully enough free pages to fit everything in.

Rainbow laughed it off, “Who cares how much further it goes? We can always dismiss our magic at will. Even our geode given power can be used actively as we want as long as we have the necklace around our necks. I mean, wow, we get tattoos-"

"Cutie Marks" Sunset insisted firmly.

"Whatever. Cutie Marks on our hips. And? Big deal.” She was relaxed and looked in the direction of her fellow future teammates, who appeared like they were nearly finished with their own conversations, “I think the others are ready to go and thanks for your kind words, girls. Seriously, I appreciate them, but don’t expect from me to get all mushy.”

Fluttershy ignored her childhood friend’s tough act and embraced the blue girl regardless, gently, “I believe in you Dashie. Please, don’t let them provoke you into doing something reckless that could endanger you. I don’t tell you that, because I’m worried that you could do something wrong, but because of the inhabitants of Ponyville. And I’m worried for your safety. Many of them are scared, hateful, angry, alone, maybe they even lost everything they held dear to their heart. What remained for many of them is often despair or a thirst for revenge. They need to see that not everything is lost, that there are still things worth fighting for in their life. Sometimes we all just need to be shown a little kindness,” she expounded in sadness and compassion.

Her following transformation ended with Cutie Marks on her hips, too. Three butterflies with cyan bodies and pink wings on each side. Fluttershy squealed in delight.

“It’s time to leave!” Luna announced, or more, ordered.

“That’s my cue, we’ll see us when I’m back. Don’t be too crazy with your experiments Sunset. Remember the last time you tried to learn about our magic after the Fall Formal,” Rainbow said in mock-concern before she left with the rest of the team.

“She got ya there,” Applejack added smugly. Fluttershy giggled.

Sunset chuckled in response, “Don’t worry, I learned my lesson. Having to wash rainbow goo out of my hair was an experience lasting for an entire lifetime. I’m much more careful now. Besides, I can’t replace destroyed equipment again and again, because we don’t have any. I have to teach the old-fashioned way.”

The magician hoped that her 'students' didn’t expect from her to include 'Friendship' in their study plan. She had no clue how to explain the Magic of Friendship in any shape or form in relation to magical theory to this day. And maybe she never would. Her last attempt of investigating its secrets resulted for her in being, well... electroduced by magical balloons, being buried by out of nowhere appearing, and somehow edible, apples and getting a free bath in rainbow liquid, to mention the most embarrassing moments of her short-lived study session. Should she ask Princess Twilight for advice for future experiments?

No, the princesses, Twilight, or worse, Celestia, could never know! The shame was just too big and her pride as a protégé in the field of magic suffered a major blow this fateful day. Defeated by apples, balloons and butterflies. She shuddered mentally.

The rainbow tasted even extremely spicy when some got into her mouth, who knew?

A certain party planner stormed out of the house, looking for her target until the found it, "Shimmy, there you are! You wouldn't believe what I just discovered!" Pinkie Pie screamed hysterically, eagerly pulling the amber girl back to the house, "It's so wonderific!"

"W-what happened?!" the Phoenix Magic user asked urgently.

Applejack, Twilight and Fluttershy shared a knowing look. This situation gave the strong impression of simply Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie. Shenanigans would surely follow soon.

"Enope! Ah have chores to do, sorry Sunset. Have fun!" the cowgirl said with a impish grin, holding her hat in front of her chest, as if paying her a final goodbye.

"Fluttershy and I will wait for you at the barn. You know, keeping Moondancer company," Twilight informed sweetly.

The shy druid was pulled away before she could offer any help of her own.

"Traitors! All of them!" Sunset thought in honest disbelief. She sighed and surrendered to her fate, "Pinkie, what is so important that you have to call me anyway?"

"Oh silly, that would be telling! It's a surpriiiise~" came the musical reply.

Sunset Shimmer couldn't believe her eyes. The object of her holy quest was... a cupcake

"Are you kidding me? That is your emergency?!" she enquired in annoyance, an headache was already approaching. It was way too early for an overdosis Pinkie Pie.

The pink teenager's smile widened, "Of course not! Look!"

Pinkie Pie grasped the resting geode around her neck, activating its magic with her touch. Suddenly she took the pastry into her hand and tossed it up into the air.

Panic and instincts took over in her. The by her Pinkie Pie created explosions became more powerful since Camp Everfree and could cause, depending on the amount of sugar she used, heavy injuries.

"Pinkie! NO!" Sunset shouted, rushed to her friend and created a barrier of flames around them.

After noticing that nothing happened, the magician saw the melting remains of the cupcake upon her shield's surface before they vaporized, "H-huh?"

Pinkie giggled in excitement, "Isn't that great?! I can make things explode on command now!"

Sunset wasn't sure if she should be amazed or terrified by this revelation, but her scientific part of her mind wanted to know more, "How exactly can you control this ability of yours?"

Suddenly the chipper attitude of her friend vanished and a sly smile graced Pinkie's features, "I tested it with Maud and we found out that I can delay the explosion for about five minutes! Do you know that means, Sunny Bunny?"

The young woman's eye twitched with force, her voice neutral, "Don't ever call me that again."

Pinkie Pie pouted with inflated cheeks, "Spoilsport." She returned to her more serious attitude, "Weeeell, but you do know that I could help us when it comes to fighting the baddies and meanies, right?"

Sunset crossed her arms, "I have no idea about what you are talking about. I mean, yes, now you can control your magic to a certain degree. And?"

Letting sprinkle explode may have helped with the strange plant monster her friends encountered, but she wouldn't let the party lover charge the front without any real protection. Their foes were far too dangerous and she made it her task to protect those dear to hear.

Pinkie closed the distance between them, taking the fiery magician at her leather jacket and whispered conspiratorially into her ear, "I'm talking about the real deal. I could dispose of unwanted guests."

Sunset's eyebrow reached orbit, hoping she was hearing wrong.

The pink enigma gestured with a wiping motion through the air, "Just imagine it for a second. One moment some big bad meanie pants are trying to steal our food, and BOOM! One sweet way to go, right coming up. Biting the dust is boring, chocolate is the future. What do you think?"

Pinkie's tone never left the noise level of a whisper.

Did her friend really just suggest that she could murder their enemies?! Sunset's brain needed to reboot, "You know what? I will just go away to meet with the others and we act like this conversation never happened. Good? Good." She left the kitchen not even a second later.

Pinkie PIe didn't understand her friend's reaction, then it clicked. Her eyes widened in shock and disgust, "Shimmy, wait! I didn't mean like that. It was a joke!"

Two weeks ago Rainbow Dash said to her that she would get predictable with her jokes. An insult a master prankster as herself couldn't accept. So she did the only logical thing, asking for advice, begging, kneeling, the whole package. The chromatic athlete said that she should try out something new. Something unexpected.

It seemed she could cross 'black humor' from her list. It wasn't funny anyway.

Author's Note

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Pinkie Pie just wants to play. Sunset simply misunderstood the poor girl. Typical. :ajbemused:

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 19 - Magic

There it stood, the barn. Her destination. Faded red paint and the partly with moss overgrown black roof were symbolizing the structure’s age. Sunset hoped she could still remember everything important from her time as a student of magic.

She opened the doors… and didn’t expect to find the their pseudo classroom to be this occupied.

Chairs and little hay cubes were laying in rows with old looking tables in front of them. Not only Twilight, Moondancer, Fluttershy and Pinkie were there as expected. No, Luviel, Night Light, Sunny Flare, Lemon Zest, Sour Sweet, Cadance, Sugarcoat and Lyra glanced in her direction, too. Spike was sleeping in a corner.

It made her even more nervous that so many had probably high expectations. “You got this. You were once the prized pupil of Princess Celestia,” Sunset cheered herself on.

Hopefully it would help.

Everybody was sitting on their chosen place. Of course the first two mentioned girls sat in the first row, pencils and paper at the ready. Eagerly awaiting the lessons.

They even prepared a big blackboard, chalk in multiple colors and a dry sponge for her!

Sunset walked up to the front, took a piece of white chalk into her hand and glanced over her class, butterflies in her stomach. Once more she took a deep breath, metaphorically. OK, her she came, “Good morning everybody. I’m glad to see that so many of you took the offer. I hope in the end of the day I could give you a better understanding of magic for future endeavours concerning this to you new and unknown force.”

“Good morning, Sensei Shimmer!” Lemon and Pinkie exclaimed happily at the same time.

Sugarcoat crossed arms under her chest and rolled lightly with the eyes, “Great. Now there are two of them.”

Sunset smiled awkwardly. “Alriiight. Well, let’s start this easy before we go into the heavy stuff, with a question. What is magic to you? Just tell me the first thing that comes to your mind if you think about it. There is no wrong answer,” the amber teacher enquired in honest interest.

Twilight waved enthusiastically with her right arm, like her life depended on it.

“Could you maybe, you know, not be a dork? Just for one time in your life if it comes to learning something new?” Midnight questioned neutrally.

The Phoenix Magic user chuckled a little before she pointed with her chalk in the lavender girl’s direction, “You don’t need to raise your hands. Twilight?”

“Pure energy!” she shouted excitedly.

“Other guesses?” encouraged Sunset.

“Explosive!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed joyfully.

“Unfathomable,” Moondancer commented with a sigh.

“Useful,” Sunny Flare stated with a grin.

Even Fluttershy gave it a try, “F-frightening…”

“Awe-inspiring,” Night Light said warmly.

Luviel added her own two cents, “Fascinating.”

“Dangerous,” Cadance gave to consider.

Sunset thought it was good enough, “You are all right.” She turned to the blackboard and drew a sphere with blue spikes, it looked like a ball of energy. The word ‘magic’ under it. “Magic is just a common term for most who are in touch with it, but its effects can be observed everywhere. Without it, there is simply no life possible. What makes us unique, our personality, our thoughts, our talents, everything is made possible by a power higher than us. Scholars speculate that even a soul is made of magic. Without it we wouldn’t be able to be what we are. For example a birth is known as the Magic of Creation.”

“At least there is nothing religious behind it,” Lyra muttered silently. Night Light and Sour Sweet heard it and had to smile a little at the dry tone.

They could understand it. Mankind’s history couldn’t show much positive when it came to past transgressions when the church was still in power, to put it mildly. And it was highly unlikely that it was much better somewhere else.

“Interesting, it seems there exist similarities between our worlds. But that isn’t much of a surprise, I guess, seeing how they mirror each other to a certain point,” the Emerald Elf said. “I can confirm that I feel magic in even the smallest culm.”

It hit most by surprise. Cadance was perplexed, “You can do that?”

Luviel facepalmed, “Right, I never told you about it. Yes, my kind has a connection to nature, trees even listen to us to some degree.” Then she added proudly, “For example I can open every door made of wood. No matter if shaped to something else, it will obey, still.”

Moondancer absorbed hungrily every bit of information, she switched her attention back to her new magic teacher, “You said ‘most’. Are there other terms?”

Sunset nodded in confirmation, “Yes, you have to understand that Equus is inhabited by many sentient races, not only Ponies. Gryphons have so called ‘seers’ in their rows and-”

“You have talking Gryphons in your world?! How amazing is that?” Lyra interrupted gleefully. She blushed immediately afterwards, “S-sorry.”

The amber magician waved it off, “Don’t worry, it’s fine. As I wanted to say, the seers call it ‘aether’ instead of magic. The Zebras, much as Zecora, call it ‘mojo’, the Minotaurs name their driving force ‘grace’. These are three examples for different terms. Or dragons call it magic as well.”

Lyra had to contain herself from fangirling that there were dragons in Sunset’s homeworld.

She drew a human and a Unicorn body besides each other with white chalk, very well-made.

“Since when can you draw like that?” Twilight wondered.

“Well, look at that. Bacon Hair can draw better than most humans we know. Not too shabby for a supposed-to-be equine,” Midnight agreed mildly surprised.

Fluttershy, Lemon, Lyra, Pinkie and Cadance were swiftly taken by seeing an Equestrian Pony for the first time, even if just as a drawing, “Awwwwww!”

Sunset smiled sheepishly, ignoring the gushing reactions about her kind, “Well, it’s kind of a requirement to draw precisely for some spells. But I’m already ahead of myself. As you can see, I drew both, Unicorn and human, to make comparisons between them if appropriate and to give you a helping hand in understanding the similarities and differences between our worlds.”

She drew branching structures, like nerves, over both bodies, a green heart in the middle of the chest and outlined the Unicorn’s horn and the human's hands red. “Now we come to what magic is made of. As you might have expected, magic isn’t some untouchable source or something you could use without restrictions. I’m sure all of you, who can use magic at least, felt exhausted at one point or a strain on your body after using magic?”

Sunny Flare snorted, “Are you kidding? After the fight with these spiders I felt like I could sleep for a week.”

The amber magician smirked, “Exactly. Every spell needs to be supplied by enough magic in order to be used in the first place.” Sunset pointed at the vein-like structures. “Our bodies have so called ‘mana pathways’. They are invisible to the naked eye, but function like the veins that transport blood through our system. Mana is the very basis of magic. Without it, you can’t use it, simple as that.”

Sugarcoat looked up from her notes, “And just how will it regenerate exactly?”

Sunset took a blue piece of chalk into her hand and drew a small bed, an Apple and a clock. “In general there are three possibilities. You can regenerate your mana with a good sleep, nutrition in form of food or you let your reserves recover with playing the waiting game, though it is the slowest option. It really doesn’t matter. In my world exist tonics that speed up the whole process as well, but I’m a fan of a more natural way. Using tonics is like using drugs or stimuli.”

Fluttershy slowly raised her hand, much to Sunset’s amusement, “Uhm. I’m not sure if I understand it correctly, but is mana for magic something like the ATP in our body cells that gives us the necessary strength and endurance for sports?” She squeaked at the raised eyebrows, “I-I’m sorry. I always liked biology.”

Her future dream was it to become a veterinarian for a few reasons. The inner mechanisms of the body, humans and animals alike, were things she was very interested in.

Pinkie laughed triumphantly and raised her arms in the air, “That explains so much!” The party planner put a hand around the meek girl. “Now we know how you put even Shimmy and Twi to shame in Mrs. Life Circle’s classes!”

Twilight gave it her best to smile. She got an ‘A-’ in the end, same as Sunset. Fluttershy had an ‘A+’ in the subject.

Her pride of having a perfect score to this point suffered a huge blow this fateful day. Her eye twitched at being reminded of her failure.

Midnight grinned sadistically, “Don’t be sad Sparky. We can’t all be as smart as her.”

The lavender teenager’s eye twitched a second time.

Cadance and Night Light couldn’t help themselves but chuckle a little, knowing Twilight’s competitive spirit when it came to knowledge.

Sunset missed her friend’s turmoil and nodded proudly, “A good analogy. Yes, you are right. Mana is what fuels us in the magical sense. It explains furthermore why you feel tired when using too much magic. Think of it like training a muscle, the more you practice your control and abilities the more spells you can use, but at one point exhaustion hits you.” A slight grimace made itself known on her. “Then there is a phenomenon known as ‘magicus defatigatio’.” She wrote the term on the blackboard.

Night Light had to voice his opinion about it, “Your kind speaks Latin?”

The Unicorn in human form thought briefly about giving her audience a short introduction in Pony history. That the language she was thinking about was Old Equish. A language used in times before the founding of Equestria.

But it was much easier and less time consuming to simply go with it.

“Crazy, right? Another similarity between our worlds, it seems.” Sunset cleared awkwardly her throat. “But to go back on topic, it describes the state a magic user finds himself in when the own mana reservoir is empty. And it’s pretty dangerous, too. If you use too much and your body isn’t strong enough to handle the stress, you might die.” Some gasps echoed through the barn. “Sorry, but there is no sugarcoating it.”

A certain glasses wearing girl had to fight the urge of being offended. Her friends giggled.

Sunny Flare’s eyes widened in shock after thinking about their encounter in White Tail Woods, “So after fighting Arachne… you…?”

The Phoenix Magic user blushed. “Yeah, my bad. That never happened to me before in my life. It’s pretty embarrassing to be honest, now that I think about it. And I should have known better, but I couldn’t afford to spare myself. You and Shining Armor were in danger and I had to act fastly,” she tried to justify herself.

Cadance smiled gratefully, “For what it is worth. I would like to thank you for saving them in this case once more.”

Sounds of agreement supported the former dean.

Now Sunset’s cheeks took the color of her hair for entirely other reasons, “N-no problem. It was nothing.” She looked at her drawings and pointed at the green hearts. “Mana pathways exist to carry mana into every part of your body, but its center, its container, serves like an invisible second heart. Our entire mana ressources are contained in the ‘core’ and the entire volume of somebody’s mana is known as the ‘manapool’.”

Connecting lines were drawn between the words and the hearts before she remembered something important. “Oh. And you should know that somebody’s natural talent for magic determines the depth of the core. Training alone can only get you so far, at one point you will reach the limit of your own core’s possible expansion. Of course, the greater it is the more spells you can use. This principle of gaining training effects still counts.”

“So some magic users will naturally be much better in casting spells than others? Of course there had to be a catch!” Sour Sweet exclaimed in mixed emotions.

Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow at her friend, “Isn’t that kind of obvious? Some people will always be much better in a certain department than others. That’s normal.”

Luviel’s eyes roamed over the group, “There is no need to worry about such things now. Should we meet a strong opponent in the future we may very well have the chance by then to defend ourselves or react accordingly otherwise. It doesn't always need to end in a fight.” The Emerald Elf put her focus on Sunset again, “Please continue.”

The young woman shrugged mentally with her shoulders. “Anyway, there are two ways to fuel a spell with mana. The first one is obviously your own manapool. The second way is something I don’t recommend until you have a certain amount of experience on your belt, namely knowing your own limitations, strengths and weaknesses when it comes to magic and body.” Sunset drew blue waves around the figures. “I am talking about converting the residual magic in the atmosphere around us. Think of it as harmless radiation, it’s everywhere, but only magic users can actively use it.”

“How does it work?” Night Light asked, fascinated.

Their teacher in spe drew another heart, waves around it. “Your core doesn’t only function as a container, but a converter as well. Of course it’s just a theory, but I think it could be applied here. We have all our own brand of magic, specialized so that it fits us, right?” Positive head movements were the answer. “And we can’t use any other type of magic, what supports my hypothesis that a human’s mana is unique to the caster. In fact it’s similar to a Unicorn.”

“Oh? How is that the case?” Moondancer enquired eagerly.

Sunset thought about her words, “When we Unicorns use our magic, then our mana emits special light properties. Because of that our horn glows in a color that represents, well, us. If we Ponies have for example a magic duel it’s not only about dodging and shooting spells at each other, but adapting as well. With the right timing I could convert the mana of my enemy into my own and fuel my core with his mana or even use his own spell against him.”

Lemon Zest, who listened to her music with one hear the whole time, had her own first question, “Dude, you said that magic has an affinity fitting its wielder, but this atmosphere magic stuff, has it any special characteristics we should know about?”

Sunset denied it, “Not really. Raw magic and raw mana are completely neutral, they didn’t develop any special traits yet. But if we convert it into our own it will be the same as ours” A much more somber undertone made itself known in her voice, “And there lays the risk. If you don’t know yourself well enough, then it can happen that you draw way too much mana into your system and overload the core. We call it ‘melting’. If your core can’t contain anymore of the mana you try to absorb from your surroundings, then your body will slowly be ripped apart.” Fluttershy whimpered. “Not in the ugly way, but it causes a still not very well known reaction and flesh and bone will be turned into raw mana. You literally fade from existence in this case.”

“T-that’s horrible!” Lyra shouted fearfully.

The amber magician sighed, “No kidding. That is the reason why you shouldn’t try to fuel your core with neutral mana as long as you are not certain about your own limitations. Same goes for casting spells. If a spell of your choice is above your level and your core isn’t able to provide the necessary amount of mana, then this is the limit. In our history were three documented cases where a Unicorn tried to force the success of a spell with this method of converting raw mana. It... didn’t end well.”

Cadance frowned strongly, “This is a very important information. We have to tell the others about it when we see them.”

“Why does it even matter that raw mana is converted by the core before you can use it? Isn’t magic just magic?” Sunny wanted to know.

Their elf answered this time instead of Sunset, “Actually It makes a lot of sense, especially when you think of an analogy between mana and blood. Like a blood type, I think mana is not only unique to the caster, but it needs to be your own that fuels your magic. I couldn’t use any of your abilities, no matter what I try, because my manapool hasn’t the right affinity to cast the same spells as you do.”

The Unicorn-turned-human agreed, “Luviel is right. And your core has a third function, besides converting and containing mana. It acts like a second immune system for your body. If mana not of your own making comes in contact with your core it will try to remove it by force. Imagine it like a fever when your body creates high amounts of heat to kill off germs. This ‘hostile’ mana will be seen as a foreign body, not belonging into your system. But instead of ‘fever’ the term for expelling foreign mana is ‘thaumatic excretion’. It looks a little like you are bleeding out magic and your body will show the same symptoms as fever, coupled with a feeling of paralysis.” Many pairs of eyes widened, Sunset noticed immediately, “Don’t worry. You are not really paralyzed in the sense of the word, but it sure feels like it.”

Fluttershy mumbled to herself before she spoke up, “Uhm. If foreign mana invades your body, can the results be like what happened with Applejack? For example if a magic using animal has poison that prevents you from casting spells or turns you into stone?”

She remembered what Mr. Magic told her and hoped that Sunset could confirm it.

The Phoenix Magic user faced her friend, surprised by this question, “That’s... awfully specific. But yes, for example manticore poison nullifies any attempts of using magic or a cockatrice’s stare contains poisonous mana that results in being turned into stone.”

“I see. Thank you,” the druid replied quietly.

Twilight groaned internally, “I can’t believe my sheets are full!”

Midnight mock-gasped, “Don’t tell me you came… unprepared.”

“Of course not! But I didn’t have as many sheets with me as I hoped! I knew my checklist lacked something when the others bought supplies in Ponyville!” the lavender girl answered hotly.

Moondancer shared her own supply of paper and whispered kindly, “Here you go.”

Twilight smiled in gratitude. “Thanks Moony,” she said in the same volume.

Sunset turned back to look at the blackboard, “Alright. Now we come to the topic of ‘Foci’.” She gestured to the reddishly outlined limbs, “It is fairly simple. A focus is what we need to perform the task of casting spells in the first place. A Unicorn uses his horn to cast spells, whereas bipeds like humans and elves use their hands.” She created a little flame in her palm. “Our mana obeys us, it bends and takes the shape we desire, but it can solely leave your body through a focus, never anywhere else. The exception are spells which express themselves in form of magical breath-like abilities. In these cases the mouth is another focus, but such are very rare from what I know.”

Pinkie Pie scribbled like a mad girl on her own sheet. “I think I got it!”

Fluttershy blinked a few times, “Is that a fire breathing... Unicorn?”

“Isn’t it great?! I call it ‘firecorn’!” the hyperactive teenager explained happily.

That got a reaction out of the magic teacher, “Pinkie?”

“Yes?” came the innocent counter question.

“Why?” Sunset enquired dryly.

Pinkie took a deep breath and so it started, “Well, if you are asking why I am here, it’s because I asked Maud to take my share of the work so that I can sit here with you. If you want to know why Indigo ran out of the room yesterday during the party like she was on fire, that happened, because Dashie pranked her and switched her drink with hot sauce.”

Lemon laughed, “It was the most hilarious thing I ever saw!”

The party planner continued without fail, “If you want to know why the animals on the farm behave so well despite our situation, well, Fluttershy here bribed them all with more fruits for being calm in exchange.”

The animal lover blushed, “T-that was a secret.”

Pinkie Pie thought about it, “Oh. Whatever! Now, if you want to know why-”

“PINKIE! Just…” Sunset shook her head in defeat. “Nevermind.”

“Is there perhaps an existing system to divide magic in finer categories? Just calling everything ‘magic’ sounds so… simplistic,” Twilight commented, unsatisfied.

The amber woman crossed her arms and hummed to herself, unsure of the best course in order to answer. “To be honest? We do have a system to classify magic, but I wasn’t sure if I should mention it in the first place.”

Night Light was confused, “Why not? It isn’t like we would know better ways to define spells.”

Sunset grimaced a little, “I know it will probably sound stupid, but I didn’t mention anything until now, because I don’t want to force all my knowledge down your throats. This is, even if similar, another world after all, with its own rules, history and cultures. I don’t want to give you the feeling that you have to use all terms we Ponies use to understand magic. You can come up with your own concepts at any time, should they make sense to you and can be verified by experiments. Then there is of course the risk that what I have to say has not to be valid for Terra.”

Cadance’s bell-like laugh attracted attention. “Is that all? How about this? You can tell us how your kind sees magic and we can decide for ourselves if we like what you say or if we want to come up with our own concepts. Nothing you say has to be set in stone.”

The former student of the sun princess felt stupid for worrying so much about nothing, “I guess.” She took a piece of chalk and wrote on the right side of the board: ‘Clover’s Caste’, with multiple lines distributed around it before she turned to face her attentive class again. “Clover’s Caste is a system we Ponies use to assign magic into single families known as ‘tiers’.”

“Clover? Like Clover the Clever?! She was the only female student of the great philosopher Star Swirl the Bearded himself! He invented the first hand pump in history!” Twilight exclaimed in pure excitement.

This man lived during the times of the Roman Empire, when Greece and Egypt still counted to the greatest civilizations of old. He understood principles, physical laws and concepts way beyond his time, a genius through and through. The lavender girl was his biggest fan.

She even dressed as him during Halloween when she was younger. Nobody got her custome.

Sunset had to prevent herself from snorting. Two of the greatest Unicorns of ponykind were just mere philosophers in this world. Somehow it was disappointing. “Yeah, she was a Unicorn and one of the greatest scholars of our kind. Clover tried to classify the different types of spells to bring order into a badly organized system to this time. There are seven tiers.”

She drew at the end of the first line a red brain with blue circles symbolizing magic around it. “First we have Domination-”

Pinkie held highly her arm up, waving wildly with it, “Oh! Oh! You mentioned it when we were chasing this nasty chimera in the Everfree!”

The last part was said in a less happy tone.

Sunset still couldn’t decide what to think about it. After their talk Princip-Celestia told her that the chimera named itself now Nova and that they should tell her. And why did they even show themselves in the first place?

It was confusing.

“Right, Pinkie.” She spoke to the whole ‘class’ again, “Domination is known as the Tier of Mind. Many unique spells fall under it. From reading a person's thoughts to mind control, even enslaving the free will counts to the realm of possibilities. But Domination can although be used to ‘convince’ dangerous animals that you aren’t a threat or prey and they will leave you alone.”

“Huh. I guess this strange mass mind control magic these warlocks used to control the citizens of Ponyville could be counted to this tier,” Sunny said thoughtfully.

Luviel agreed, “Indeed. But think about the more positive aspects of such magic. If you are in dire need of finding important informations and you have to interrogate enemies in order to obtain them you could just take a look. Especially if time is of the essence.”

A sour expression crossed Night Light’s face, “That may be true, but personally I have ethical issues with such spells. The mind is a sacred thing and shouldn’t be violated lightly, no matter the reason. Of course there are no laws nowadays against using such abilities, but it’s a very grey area, if you ask me. Morally speaking.”

Sunset nodded in understanding, “I know from where you are coming from, but all magic can be misused if you think about it. For example every Unicorn can use levitation to pick up things, it’s the most basic of spells. Young foals are taught about it from early on. But in theory I could levitate a boulder above someone’s head or toss sharp objects at said person. It really depends on the magic’s wielder.”

Cadance gave a small smile, “What you are doing and what you are able to do are two different pairs of shoes. Having magic means having responsibility.”

The amber magician drew a human head and question marks around it at the end of another line. “Aberration, also known as the Tier of Illusion. As you might expect, this tier focuses on confusion creating spells. It ranges from fooling all of the five senses to making distractions.”

“That sounds like the best pranktastic tier ever!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed gleefully.

“Totally!” Lemon supported, equally joyful.

Sugarcoat nodded proudly, ignoring the duo’s antics, “My magic has its own tier. Who would have thought.”

“Next up is Conjuration, the Tier of Summoning. It’s one of the two oldest forms of magic. It stands for the calling of familiars or leading your own golems and constructions bound to you. But I don’t know about anypony who knows about Conjuration these days except maybe the princesses. Perhaps you find something about it in very old tomes, probably.” Sunset created a simple looking circle and a big like made of earth looking creature in its center at the end of the third line.

“That would be very helpful if we could somehow call for aid in form of a summoning,” Luviel commented in great interest.

“Uhm, Sunset? Is it maybe possible to have an animal as a familiar? If you don’t mind me asking. I just wondered, because… well…” Fluttershy mumbled to herself, not sure how to explain herself.

The Unicorn-turned-human had to giggle at the innocent, but still very eager question. “I’m sure it’s possible. I read that some animals could form a special bound that granted the magic user the ability to summon them. But I never saw it myself, sorry.”

A big smile graced the young druid’s features.

“The fourth field is Divination. The Tier of Premonition,” Sunset chose her next streak and drew a card with stars in it, a detailed human eye above it, looking at the card below.

Twilight groaned, “Seriously?” She refused to believe in such fakery.

Sunset could just grin at her friend’s ignorance, “What’s the matter Twilight? Did you meet a creepy diviner in the past?” Short laughs lightened the atmosphere. “In all seriousness though, it’s not what you are thinking. Divination is not only smoke and mirrors, but real magic in my world. There are a few different examples I can name you. Like the Zebras, whose witch doctors brew potions out of special ingredients that make it possible to get glimpses of the future or the past, depending on the components. Or the Gryphon seers, who can see a few seconds into the future of a person they look at, it comes very handy in battle. Or so I read. But the best example I can give you is my former mentor.” A small amount of sadness creeped into her voice when she mentioned Princess Celestia.

“What has my aunt’s counterpart to do with it?” Cadance queried calmly, but visibly curious.

“The princess has the ability to see glimpses of somebody’s possible future. That’s how she found out about my potential when we met, same goes for Princess Twilight and Princess Cadance long before their ascension. She has to be close to you to see it, but sometimes her sixth sense tingles if the potential future could be shaken in its very foundation.” Sunset buried her face in her palms and shook her head in shame for a few seconds before looking up again. “And here we have another reason why I acted like a brat in the past. At one point I saw it as my destiny to be better than others because of her premonition.” Her cheeks heated a little.

There even seemed to be more, if Sunset understood correctly. Princess Twilight once wrote her a very detailed report about the incident with Lord Tirek. They were only aware of him, because Princess Celestia’s ability extended to dreams sometimes and she was warned against him.

“You know, it still sounds surreal that your counterpart and our former babysitter are little pony princesses,” Midnight added dryly.

Pinkie stroke her chin like there was a not existing goatee, concentrated, “My sisters and I have a sixth sense, too.” Her eyes widened in childish glee, “Does that mean we are like gypsies with superpowers?!”

“Pinkie-” before Twilight could go on why saying something like that was wrong, the teenager was already fully into it.

The second youngest of the Pie Sisters pulled a fake glass orb out of her hay seat, put it onto her desk and stared intensely into it. Then there were the strange arm movements, “Aha! I see it! My little friend here told me that something unexpected will happen soon! It has spoken!” she dramatically screamed the last part.

Moondancer rolled with her eyes, “That’s ridiculous. Why should-”

The barn door opened forcefully and a very angry BonBon stomped into the class, looking around frantically until she spotted the target of her ire, “Lyra! There you are!”

“H-hey Bonnie!” the mint colored girl replied sheepishly, “How is the farm doing?”

“You said you would be gone for a few minutes! I know you want to listen, but I told you we need your help and that you can ask questions later,” came the immediate reply.

“But-”

“No buts! I won’t cover for you, again,” BonBon interrupted in annoyance

“I just overslept like three times,” Lyra mumbled quietly.

But loud enough for her friend to hear, “Exactly!” She started to pull the mint colored teenager out of the session. “Now move, Applejack is waiting for us.”

Of course the other girl took it all in stride and dignity, “Nooooooooooooo!” All the way out.

Pinkie blinked, and again, lowering her head until her eyes were on the same level as the fake crystal ball, “You are gooood.”

One of the Shadowbolts ended the resulting silence, “You were a bully once? Good to know that our fearless leader had her share of weak moments as well!” Sour Sweet teased mercilessly.

Playfully rolled eyes were Sunset’s only response.

She took this time colorful chalk and made a picture of six small leaves in slightly shifted positions, filling them in various combinations with green, yellow, red and brown to show their life cycle. “Transmutation, or Tier of Transition, includes all magic that causes changes. Be it a change of environment, the appearance or matter of things, even age.”

“Whoa! Time magic is a thing?!” Sunny exclaimed, not sure if she heard right.

“Like time travel?!” Lemon added in awe.

Their teacher sighed, knowing that it had to come up, “This is really something where science fiction pulled wool over your eyes. Time is a powerful, unbending force, one of the oldest concepts of creation. Even magic can’t just undo it. You can’t just change it permanently either, it will always return to its original state. Think of time like a living, strong river with currents, the more you try to work against it the more it tries to force you into submission. Until it succeeds.”

“Hmm, it is difficult to imagine the possibilities of such spells, if not for the obvious. Could you name us examples, please?” Luviel asked politely.

“Of course. It is possible to slow time down or to speed it up, but solely for very short frames and only around the target of your will. There are a few factors which will make it already much harder. Does your target move or not, is it just a lifeless object or a living being, its proportions like girth, height and mass. For example slowing down a living being requires to slow down time for every cell at once, meaning you need great amounts of mana at your disposal. Only the most skilled Unicorns could pull off such feats and even then only for seconds to maybe two minutes. At best,” Sunset explained seriously.

Lemon Zest leaned back in her groaning chair and pouted, “So no time travel?”

The Phoenix Magic user was unsure how to explain it, “I didn’t say that. There is a spell which should make it possible to go back in time, if nothing else. But documented experiments claimed that the caster could only go back a week for a few seconds until he returned automatically to his own timeline. I never tried it out myself.”

Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow, “Seriously? That sounds pretty ineffective if you ask me.”

Sunset shrugged with her shoulders for real this time, “What can I say?” She wrote the words ‘past’, ‘present’ and ‘future’ onto the board and addiotionally ‘time field’ under every word. “It is theorized that time has its own rules and domains. We all live in the same time field, where time flows in the same speed for every being on this world. And you want to go back, that may be the base, but in the end your existence is anchored to your own time field, the point of your origin. Each moment of time has its own unique time field, or so most scholars think, that is why it is able to feel it if somebody of another time field appears in its domain. In other words it will try to reject you and to force you back into your own, where you belong. Or in the moment you try to change the time field it will try to repair itself, that is why even a mere change of time’s speed will only last for seconds in most cases.”

“You said that Transmutation works with age as well, what do you mean?” Moondancer enquired vigorly.

“Well, a very talented mage is able to change the time field around his target to such a degree that he could force someone to grow old or to be turned back into a child. I saw once how a professor of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns could bend the time field around an egg strong enough so that a living bird hatched out of it,” the magic teacher elucidated nostalgically.

Such experiments were one of the reasons she always loved learning about magic. Good old times.

“H-he created life?!” Cadance shouted, completely dumbfounded.

Sunset had to laugh at such a ridiculous thought. She was positive that Professor Star Note wasn’t a deity in disguise, “No, not really. As I said, he only changed the time field. That means he forced the egg into a moment when it would have hatched already. Same goes for aging or rejuvenating someone. It all lasts so long until time will correct its cause and everything returns to how it should be once again.”

Night Light had another question, “In relation to the Tier of Transition… do you know the concept of the Philosopher's Stone? It’s something mankind always dreamed about in the earlier ages.”

The former Unicorn nodded slowly, “I read about. But Transmutation doesn’t count to the most difficult areas in Clover’s Caste without a reason. You need to understand of what a mineral or any other material is made of in order to transmute an object. If you want to change wood into gold, then it doesn’t matter if you are the most powerful magic user in history. You won’t be able to complete the task as long as you don’t understand what wood is and what gold is.” She grinned slyly, “Chemistry, biology and physics have their places in my homeworld as well, you know? Living in a world of magic doesn’t mean we are stupid when it comes to these subjects.”

Luviel stretched herself, “That is certainly a lot to take in, I think we should take a break when you covered the last two tiers.”

“I agree. I will go and ask Mrs. Smith for some refreshments,” Cadance said, stood up and left the barn.

Now that she thought about it, Sunset had to admit that her throat felt a little dry, “That sounds good, I don’t mind.”

She drew a strange looking symbol at the end of the next line, a rhombus with a two layered circle around it, touching the edges and beautifully made symbols in the outer layer. In the rhombus itself was a little red flame. “This is a fire rune and the reason I learned to draw with such precision. Epigraphy is the sixth family and the oldest form of magic that exists in general, also called the Tier of Enchantment. Some call it Magic of Rune Script, but it isn’t a commonly used term. It is furthermore related to Divination, because the old oracles of Unicornia used runes to read the future or to determine the fate of things.”

The hyperactive party planner laughed, “Oh, I get it! Unicorns, Unicornia, good one!”

Most in the room groaned.

Sunset’s right corner of the mouth twitched, “Of course Pinkie Pie. To explain it further, Epigraphy covers a few topics. Enchantments of all kinds, like to strengthen a chosen attribute, endurance for example. And runes in general can be used in many different ways, preparing traps was one of the most common options in the past, because runes, in opposite to normal spell casting, isn’t restricted by time. No spell is made to last forever to our knowledge and ends at one point, but runes have something we call ‘perfect thaumatic balance’. It means that they will serve their purpose as long as the rune itself is intact and not damaged somehow.”

“That sounds delightful! These runes are certainly interesting. As long as you aren’t an archaeologist and run into the next ancient death trap!” Sour Sweet voiced her opinion.

“It certainly appears to be a major flaw that they are practically useless in the moment they are damaged,” Luviel pointed out. “Are there any other features we should know about?”

The amber woman thought about the question, “Well, drawing them with utmost perfection is absolutely necessary. In the moment you make a mistake when drawing the rune it won’t work anymore, or worse, it overloads and reacts volatilely in form an explosion or with an effect you never aimed for. Missing a small hook of a Rune Symbol, the letters you see in the fire rune here, is already enough.”

Twilight felt like she discovered science heaven, so much previously unknown knowledge and even much better, magic wasn’t as frustrating anymore, because it seemed to have a lot of rules as well and didn’t ignore reality as much as she feared.

“I swear if you get wet thoughts I will haunt you in your dreams forever,” Midnight warned threateningly.

The lavender scholar ignored her conscious for now, it became easier in the last passing days, “Are runes only symbolizing effects, enchantments or elements?”

“Mostly, but Epigraphy existed once to make life easier for all Ponies in times following the foundation of Equestria. Sadly after the Age of Discord the knowledge of how we could create them was lost to us. There were runes which made it possible to walk on clouds so that Earth Ponies and Unicorns could visit the old cities of the Pegasi, teleportation runes for non Unicorns and with Rune Symbols inscripted so called ‘Rune Gates’ that served as portals between two places of choice.” The Unicorn-turned-human was saddened that so much knowledge disappeared because of the Lord of Chaos.

“That sounds awful. I’m sorry that this happened to you,” Fluttershy commented in honest sympathy.

Sugarcoat observed the fire rune on the blackboard with great suspicion, “You draw everything how it should be, right? Is this fire rune dangerous?”

“Huh?” Sunset turned around to look at the rune and back to the Shadowbolt before she understood, “Oh, you mean if it will do something?” She waved it off, “Nah, don’t worry. Drawing a rune alone won’t have any effect, first you need to infuse it with the necessary amount of mana in order to activate it and you have to implement the right matrices to make sure the rune won’t activate by accident or when the wrong person comes by. Otherwise it will always be a simple picture, nothing else.”

“Picture… only… alright!” Moondancer exclaimed excitedly, staring at her notes, more a small book by now, as if they were her biggest treasure. “One tier left!”

Scientific passion could be seen on the redhead’s face, “Now to the most compelling and biggest tier, the Tier of Soul. Enigma. Ms. Celestia uses Solar Magic, Ms. Luna has Lunar Magic, Rainbow Dash, Cadance, Indigo, every single one of us. We all have in common that our abilities focus on one particular concept or element. Ice, lightning, healing, water, earth, fire, light, darkness, wind, poison, arcane, emotion, love, nature, it doesn’t matter. They are all counting to Enigma, because they represent aspects of magic unique to our soul, our very being. Even in Equestria It happened that Pegasi were born every now and then who could command lightning and wind like nopony except them was ever able to do so, Earth Ponies with affinity to fire and earth or Unicorns who were specially gifted in a certain aspect of magic.”

“So the seventh tier is called Enigma, because you don’t know why these forms of magic exist?” Luviel asked dryly.

Sunset countered with a question of her own, “Isn’t that exactly why it is so interesting? Why is somebody born with a talent in magic nobody else has? There is not really a scientific answer to that and you will most likely never find out why. But the Tier of Soul is divided in many under categories. Fluttershy’s Druid Magic could fall under ‘nature’, whereas my Phoenix Magic counts to ‘fire’. Necromancy or blood magic are declared to the vilest of arts under the term ‘Dark Magic’, which in turn counts to the element of darkness. Enigma isn’t a collective term for things we don’t know, but forms of magic unique to the caster, because nobody can simply copy it.”

Night Light nodded in understanding and glanced at every human caster of the class, “It makes sense. There are forms of magic every caster could learn theoretically with enough practice and then there are unique talents like yours which can’t be copied. Indeed, until now we didn’t find anybody who can use the exact same magic as you.”

The breather announced itself in form of the former dean of CPA, Granny Smith, Twilight Velvet and Cheerilee. They carried plates with food and drinks.

“Alright y’all, it’s time to give yer noggin’s a break! A good piece of apple fritter always does the trick,” the Apple Family’s matriarch declared enthusiastically.

“It’s good that we still have so many leftovers from yesterday’s party,” Cheerilee added gladly, trying to balance her full plate.

Pinkie Pie teleported, or so it looked for most, “Dibs on the cupcakes!”

They took a break for over half an hour. Cadance was updated on what she missed and the other three women left afterwards with much less weight to carry.

Velvet made it clear to Twilight that she was grounded if she went overboard with their experiments later or caused any lasting damage, much to the teenager’s embarrassment. What Twilight didn’t notice was her mother’s playful grin.

Their class received two additions with Rarity and Indigo Zap, who entered the barn shortly before class started for the second part. It was their turn to observe the south of Sweet Apple Acres in the early morning before they were replaced by Maud and Limestone. Most were surprised that Rarity wanted to do something where she could ‘get dirty’ at all, but the teenager assured that she would do her part, even if it demanded ‘great sacrifices’.

“I know it is quite rude to interrupt a session in action, but I have to admit that I am curious. Sunset Darling, do you mind if we participate in your lesson for the last part?” the fashionista enquired with an apologetic smile.

Indigo sat already besides Lemon in a relaxed sitting position, “Yeah, yeah. What she said.”

The Phoenix Magic user saw it easy, “No problem girls. It won’t go for much longer anyway.”

Moondancer seemed to be disappointed, “Oh… what is left?”

“Long ago a Unicorn mare defined certain characteristics of magic in general. They are accepted to this day by our society, so I think it’s a good way to end today’s lesson. We name them ‘Aurora’s Theorems’” Sunset wrote the term on the blackboard. “Let’s start with the first theorem: ‘Magic can never be destroyed, nor be created, only converted’. It’s fairly simple, magic is like energy in this regard. It can be changed into something else, like from its original neutral state into light based magic. But you can’t create magic out of thin air or eliminate it, it just exists and will continue to do so.”

“It is similar to the laws of thermodynamics,” Twilight noticed immediately.

Sunset acknowledged her friend’s statement, “You are right.” The next followed suit, “The second theorem says: ‘Magic will always demand a prize’. It means that every spell you cast has its costs. As I explained in the morning, a spell won’t work if you don’t have enough mana. And you can’t cheat to make it work either. The needed amount of power is predetermined and if you can’t pay up, to put it crudely, the consequences of failure can be fatal for the caster.”

Indigo gulped nervously, “Sheesh. That sounds painful.” She looked at the other Shadowbolts, “You have to tell me everything after this.”

Sugarcoat corrected her glasses and replied monotonically, “Calm down. We got you covered.”

“Aurora’s third theorem: ‘Magic is neutral and pure’. In other words, raw magic and raw mana can be used by anybody and it really doesn’t care if you are ‘evil’ or ‘good’. Magic doesn’t know such categories, nor does it judge you for your actions in its purest form.” Sunset explained it a little more at the confused expressions of some of her students. “It is fundamental to understand that, because many magic users in history thought of it as some holy power that could only be used by beings with a pure heart. What is obviously not true.”

The amber magician remembered grimly her history classes under Princess Celestia, when the Alicorn told her about times before the founding of Equestria when Unicorn elites thought themselves as much superior than Earth Ponies or Pegasi, because they could use magic in a more active way than the other tribes and tried to enslave them.

A reason why Commander Hurricane waged war against Unicornia for many years.

Sunset wrote down her last piece of information, “The fourth and last theorem: ‘Magic seeks balance above all else’.”

“What?” Lemon queried plainly.

Sunset never liked the last theorem, it made it obvious that you were responsible for your own shortcomings in the very end, “It is more a philosophical observation about it. Magic gives us the ability to use it, an unspoken choice, but its not responsible for how we use it. You know how I turned into a raging she-demon during the Fall Formal. It created a demon half of me to give all my more negative traits a form. My mind wasn’t able to cope with so much pain, power and hatred so that the Element of Magic turned me into a being fitting my state of mind in this moment. It protected me in this way. But I was still there, somewhere inside, trapped. The same happened with Twilight when Midnight Sparkle was created or with Princess Luna when Nightmare Moon came to be. We were all caged into our own body and mind so to speak, aware of what we did in our power hungry forms, but we weren’t really in charge anymore. I know it sounds confusing.”

Cadance was visibly displeased, “I think I know what you mean. It is cruel, but perhaps necessary at the same time. The magic shows you what you have become because of your own decisions in life and that they have consequences.”

“You hear that Sparky? I saved you from ending up as a vegetable,” the dark angel said proudly and a coy wink.

“I don’t think you had an active part there. But I… never thought of it like that,” Twilight admitted regretfully.

Midnight rolled with her eyes. Her twin was sulking again.

Moondancer looked up from her manifest of magical theory. Impressive 23 pages of notes, diagrams, theories, questions and annotations. “I-I think I’m ready. Should we start then with our experiments?”

The amber magician nodded, “If you are sure. I think that’s a good point as any to call it quits.”

Pinkie Pie tried to get Rarity’s attention, “Psst! 10 bucks say that Twilight will cause the first accident.”

The Duelist Magic user reacted with dismay, “How can you say something like that? They are our friends and we should support them with our utmost conviction.” She looked shortly over her shoulder to make sure that nobody listened in, “Make it 15, I say Sunset messes up first.”

“Deal,” came the happy reply.

In full belief into their friends’ abilities, the duo shook hands.

Author's Note

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

I just wanted to implement this chapter to give you all an idea how magic works in this universe. I think it worked out fairly well in the end.

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 20 - Intervention of a General

History.

Archeology.

Adventure.

The thrill of adrenaline.

Daring Do loved her life. She could combine her passion and hobby with her job as an archeologist. She remembered how her mother, a famous scientist for ancient history in her own right, told her stories about her work and provided her with literature about tales of old, unsolved mysteries, forgotten ruins and more. It awoke in Daring the desire to become an archaeologist on her own to discover and conquer the unknown of this world.

Of course to the time of her mother it was much easier to investigate rumors or to do something that shouldn't be common knowledge. Ancient ruins with dangerous artifacts, which were furthermore booby-trapped to keep away unwanted visitors and thieves, were no places where you could, or should, open a tourism center.

Her mother could visit, support or even lead excavations and the public was none the wiser. Or how the scientist always used to say to her daughter: "Daring, when I was in your age, it was an unspoken rule between all involved that what happened in the desert, stayed in the desert."

After the level of technology rose further and further over the years it became much more difficult to keep dangerous discoveries hidden from the world and to solely mention what could be mentioned. Satellites, cellphones, MyStable, Horsebook, it was much easier to catch, record and distribute information when Daring Do started her career after her graduation.

Still, it didn't stop her from hunting her dream. Daring had a lot of adventures on her back for a woman her age of 27 years and received good payments from her clients. Well, as long as they managed to pay that is or no other problems made themselves known.

It had to be some kind of world record how many times one of her more or less shaddy or very eccentric customers, who needed an archeologist for whatever reason, couldn't pay.

For example, because they aimed for forbidden treasures and died sometimes in process of the adventure. Stupidity wasn't a sin, but Daring had her fair share of questionable situations where she wasn't so sure about that anymore in regard of some humans she met.

Another problem she had with some of them in the past was that they didn't value historic sites as much as she did and were ready to destroy irreplaceable pieces of forgotten civilisations as long as they got what they desired. She had to step in in these cases and fought her own, former by this point, clients to save treasures of history.

Suffice it to say that the paycheck never came, but that wasn't important for her. There were things on this world whose destruction or theft wasn't worth all money on Earth, in her opinion.

Or they, her employer and herself, met one of Daring Do's two greatest rivals.

Dr. Caballeron. A man from Sphayn who claimed to be a descendant of one of the most powerful bloodlines from the time of the sphaynish inquisition. He had the annoying habit to appear out of nowhere and ruined her day when she expected it the least. From her point of view he wasn't a ‘doctor’, but only a greedy thief who had no qualms to sell old and very valuable artifacts, no matter the consequences, as long as he could fill his pockets.

This man had no respect for anything and was a fiend of history! These items should be, as long as they were not dangerous or had to stay where they were, exhibited and appreciated in a museum for all to see. Instead there were people who had no qualms with letting them disappear in some dusty old vault of some crazy collector. Such artefacts were inestimable!

The worst thing was that this guy seriously thought, maybe until this day, depending on whether he was even still alive, that he had a real chance with her... Caballeron was maybe slightly older than her and flirted shamelessly. Every time they met each other he offered her at least once to become his bride and right hand.

The young archaeologist guessed that was a reason why, no matter how many times she destroyed his plans, she was alive, still. His henchman were brutes and wore weapons on their person, but Caballeron never ordered them to simply shoot her. No, he ordered many things, but not her death.

One time Daring asked him why he never tried to finish her off, out of curiosity and because she was fed up after he gloated into her face for 20 minutes. Without a break. He replied that he was a gentleman and wouldn't dream of taking the life of such a, in his words, ‘beautiful flower’.

Well, to be honest, she heard worse pick-up lines in her life.

When she once told her mother about her problem with him, the older woman had just laughed at her daughter and replied in dry humor: "Honey. You are young, strong, intelligent and very beautiful, what do you expect? Believe me, before I met your father it was the same for me. When these people don't play for the own team and aren’t completely bend on world domination or becoming rich then that is just what happens. It is rare to meet a man who wouldn't at least consider the possibility of flirting with the attractive archeologist, no matter if she's the greatest obstacle on his road. You could say, being harassed falls under 'job hazard' in our case."

Daring didn't feel better at all after this enlightenment.

And she never met her father for that matter, Daring's mother only said that he left them, she never explained any details and didn't want to talk about it anymore.

The second rival was another man called Ahuizotl from Neighico. He was much more dangerous than Dr. Caballeron and her personal arch nemesis. He had little regards for taking others' lives to achieve his goals and nearly succeeded multiple times in killing her. Only her wits and training kept the archeologist alive to this day. Ahuizotl's tendency to act like a cliche villain helped, too. He always left her alone after he gloated and cackled like a maniac, leaving Daring to her ‘unavoidable doom’, what helped her in the end to escape out of the traps.

And then there were his dogs who accompanied him restlessly. A bulldog, a doberman, a sheepdog and a chihuahua, this little beast was the most aggressive of all for some reason. Daring managed to keep them away with a dog whistle in most cases.

All these problems put together led to the situation that she needed money at some point from other sources, because too many of her expeditions didn't lead to any form of tangible payment. A good conscious and heroic acts alone didn't fill a stomach or paid taxes, sadly.

Her mother, Ancient Keeper Do, or only Ancient Keeper, as she prefered to be called by all, joked one day that Daring should become an author and starting to write books about her adventures. At least the more interesting ones.

The younger woman loved that idea, it meant that she could share more of her secrets, in a more or less abridged form to convince everyone that is was just fiction, with her future audience and earned extra money all the same. And she had something to do in her free time between expeditions.

The only problem that remained was that Daring Do couldn't write books over herself and using her own identity, she needed a pen name. It wouldn't be possible to keep dangerous and greedy people, or the government for that matter, from doing the same in the end like Caballeron or Ahuizotl, maybe even worse. When people decided to investigate if the author was indeed Daring Do and real to boot, it would just open a whole new can of worms. She didn't need that.

No, like to the time of her mother her activities had to be kept hidden from unwanted attention. This modern age and its technology proved sometimes to be a curse, indeed.

Before she started to write an old and very good friend of Ancient Keeper in the US government helped with creating a perfect fake identity for Daring Do so that no connections could be made between the names.

In honor of her mother, who gave her this idea in the first place, she chose the name ‘A.K. Yearling’. The ‘A’ from ‘Ancient’, the ‘K’ from ‘Keeper’ and ‘Yearling’ was the maiden surname of her mother before she took on the name ‘Do’. Her income increased exponentially, much to her own surprise.

Six months ago, her mother went after a hint when first changes took place on Earth. A colleague called and reported about strange happenings in the ruins of an old temple of ‘religious fanatics’ in Greece. It was located in the ruins of Old Rhodes. Of course Ancient as a famous scientist for historian events was one of the first people he had in mind to contact and because he knew about the Do Family's ‘activities’.

Daring had a bad feeling about everything to this time.

Five months she got updates from her mother about ‘developments beyond their imagination’, as the older woman described it. One reason was that the inhabitants of Greece suddenly began to turn from humans into... minotaurs... that was a thing, too. She was even sent pictures that confirmed the claim of the historian. The new inhabitants renamed Greece into ‘Magoth’. It seemed it was a translation from the minotaurs new mother tongue, ‘Tauru’.

Then, 10 days ago, Daring received the last letter and any form of contact at all until this day from Ancient Seeker. It was really written in the artistic and beautiful handwriting of her mother, the young archeologist would recognize it anywhere. The message said:

Dear Daring,

I hope you're well. If you are reading this then know that this has to be our last correspondence for the time being. I can't risk that potential enemies might intercept my letters to you in the future and procure valuable informations. Too much is at stake. We had to leave the City of Rhodes and regroup on the mainland after we were attacked by goblins and Naga, I’m serious, who claimed the island for the so called 'Triumvirate'. I had to sent you this letter, because the internet- and cellphone connection alike broke down for whatever reason in the entire country.

My angel, be careful who you trust! The world is on the brink of a new era. The druids of the sanctum confirmed that the strange energ-magic of our world will soon awake completely. Something is helping accelerating the procedure since months, but we don't know what it is or why this is happening. Our allies call the this new era the 'Dawn of Magic', at least that is the English translation.

I taught you everything I knew, you are a grown woman who already had her fair share of experiences in our field of work and I couldn't be prouder to call myself your mother. Sadly I can't help you anymore from this point on, I have to stay here and support the minotaurs with their own problems to the best of my abilities. But I know that you will prevail like you always do, make the right decisions and help us to uncover the truth.

Before everything went south here, I called a friend of mine who owned me a favor after I saved his daughter from tomb robbers 15 years ago. You can trust him, his name is Mamba and he is the curator of the National Museum for Ancient History of Zebrica, you know where you have to go. You probably ask yourself how a simple curator could help us with a problem of such magnitude. Let us just say that Mamba is nowadays much more. Please, trust me.

To reach Zebrica as fast as possible I convinced Firefly, you know, my contact from the US government, to escort you. Even though we are facing apocalypse-like circumstances she agreed to help. Please, don’t embarrass me and show yourself from your better side. She is tough as nails and could take you on every time of the day. That being said, don't anger her, she has a hot temperament and is stubborn as a mule. Firefly will come in 10 days to pick you up so that she can prepare everything for the time of her absence when she's with you, wait for her arrival.

And don't be surprised when you see that the humans of Zebrica transformed into another race entirely, they seem to be 'trolls' nowadays. I saw minotaurs, goblins, Nagas, hydras and many other things we would consider 'fantasy', but I fear that will be our new reality from now on. Keep your mind open to all possibilities and don't falter, child. I give you this last piece of advice, because you will witness things much beyond petty thievery and greedy power-hungry fools like Ahuizotl.

I pray that we will be reunited one day, telling each other stories and laugh in retrospection about everything. Until then, stay safe, take Firefly’s words into account and heed her opinion in the case you are stuck in your upcoming journey. Good luck.

Love,

Ancient Seeker

PS: Besides, you still owe me a grandchild, young lady. And I won't leave this world and neither will you until I have one and can call myself a grandmother. So don't you dare die on me!

Ten days later this Firefly arrived in front of Daring's usually secret base, a middle-sized house she called ‘home’, when she wasn't on a new expedition or visited Daring Do conventions undercover as A.K Yearling, writing autographs for her fans.

This needed some, no, a lot of time getting used to. The fact that people disguised themselves as... well, herself, was disturbing.

At least Daring could brush up on zebrican culture in the meantime, she hoped that trolls had similar traditions. The young woman really didn't want to end up dead before she even met this Mamba.

Today her potentially greatest adventure would start, maybe Daring could write a two-parter. However, she was sure her publisher was on vacation for an ‘indefinite period’, like most people these days.

Daring judged closely her mother’s friend.

Firefly was an attractive, tall, athletic looking woman in her late thirties. She had pink skin, long slightly unkempt purplish blue hair and purple eyes. An aura of authority and determination surrounded her, it gave her the chills. Whoever crossed this woman in the wrong way was down for the count, the archaeologist was sure of that. She wore earrings in the form of two purplish blue lightning bolts and locked eyes with a stunned Daring Do, an amused smile graced her features. Firefly wore a white short-sleeved T-shirt, black track pants, aquamarine colored sneakers and a Glock, more specific a Glock 17 RTF2 on each side of her hips, secured in black holsters.

Well, it made sense to wear more casual clothes, because Daring was sure the trolls wouldn't trust someone in official uniform.

The archeologist knew when she had a soldier in front of her. She was convinced that her mother's ‘old friend’ was just a simple official at best, an old contact from Ancient's more active time, or someone unsuspicious like a free time pilot in order to grant her help to reach Zebrica, but NOT from the military! What kind of friends had this crazy woman?!

"Err... hi? You must be Firefly, my mother told me a lot about you," Daring greeted, a little nervous.

It annoyed the adventurer, normally she could control her emotions. Why was it so difficult?

In a mildly raspy, deeper voice the soldier responded in a relaxed tone, "Calm down kiddo, I won't eat you. As you already mentioned, my name is Firefly, general and highest officer of the Wonderbolts, how is it going?" She said the last part like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"H-highest ranking general?! You are the infamous Thunder Demon?! How in the name of everything holy do you know my mother... Ms. Firefly?" Daring tried to sound calm and collected at the end.

She wasn't sure if that was real or if her mother just trolled her. When Daring read about a woman called ‘Firefly’ she didn't think too hard about it, because she never expected that Ancient Seeker talked about the Firefly. One of the most decorated and famous generals of the US military.

"Oho? Ms. Firefly? Sorry kiddo, but flattery won't get you any favors. And when you really insist to be polite, call me Mrs. Firefly, because I'm married and have a daughter. Now, let's stop wasting daylight, we can talk on our flight to Zebrica, or whatever trolls call their country these days. Follow me," Firefly responded in an uncaring tone and left, walking to a big open area behind Daring's house.

"So... mom informed you about everything?" the young woman enquired unsurely, whereas she followed the general.

Firefly chuckled before she answered smugly, "Ancy informing me? I updated her more about recent events in the last months than the other way around, but I guess you're right this time. I didn't know that the humans of Zebrica transformed into trolls." They reached their destination. "Ah, there it is, I hope you don't have problems with heights and things to occupy yourself, it will be a long flight."

What the archaeologist saw in front of her was not what she expected and gaped at the... interesting choice of their vehicle. It was a Cessna 172 Skyhawk, a lightweight airplane with four seats and classified as a Single Engine Piston with a reciprocating engine, aquamarine colored everywhere, except the underside, it was white.

Firefly saw Daring Do's unconvinced expression. "Don't be so nervous, we motorized this baby in a way so that the flight performance is at its best. The same for the maximum takeoff weight, or MTOW, if you know the term, in other words we won't solely have four to five hours until the gas tank would be empty on us, most likely in a very bad moment, too. We will reach our destination. Besides, we have a secret weapon that spares us from drowning," Firefly informed jokingly, acting very convincing so that her friend's daughter wouldn't notice her own uncertainties about the success of their flight.

Secret weapon? Well, whatever, Daring decided to trust the general. Surely she knew what to do, but still, "Why not a helicopter? Or a... longer lasting plane?"

The Wonderbolt sighed heavily in annoyance and anger, "Because... I don't know! Three weeks ago everything with high-tech cockpits and more modern motors died on us.” She snapped her fingers in front of Daring’s face. “Just like that! No attack from an enemy, no EMP, no nothing. Our technicians could never find out what was responsible. The point is, we have no helicopters, jets or other more modern forms of transportation anymore on the airway. The same goes for the navy. Admiral Nero cried me a river, because aircraft carrier, their jets as well and every more modern ship in the fleet quit the service entirely. Only the 'oldies' still work, so we have only this plane at our disposal now and nothing better. Be lucky, most of our units can't really call themselves 'Air Force' or 'Navy' any longer and have to reach new destinations by foot or by car. Bloody hell, even tanks are out of commission. Well, at least was is left of us," Firefly finished her explanation in a sour mode.

"It is really that bad? I was wondering why I never encountered any form of better equipped military forces at any place where I found, well, living creatures of myths and fantasy," Daring commented dryly.

"Let's talk about that when we are in the air. Master Sergeant, are you ready?!" Firefly demanded to know.

"Yes, General Firefly! Madame!" Daring was rarely more surprised in her life and it was a feat on itself to sneak up on her at all.

In front of the archeologist stood an even younger woman than herself, maybe in her early twenties, maybe younger. She had moderate raspberry eyes, white skin and vivid yellow hair, which was a little puffier than expected and wore an aquamarine flying suit with gold colorations at some places and a golden winged bolt as a logo on it.

"W-where did you come from?!" she demanded to know from the soldier who appeared out of thin air.

"Out of the plane of course! My name is Surprise by the way, it's an honor to meet you, Ms. Do! I will be your pilot for the duration of the trip," said the very excited sergeant in a clear, young sounding voice.

"OK?" Daring wasn't sure how to feel about the fact that her continued life was depending on the flying skills of Surprise.

Once everyone stepped into the plane and they were safe in the air after dodging a flock of birds, their pilott was better in doing so as Daring expected, Firefly continued their conversation, "You already saw some of the new and… unique sights of this world, didn’t you?" the general asked in sincere interest.

"Huh? Oh, yes. I encountered timberwolves at some places of the country, manticores, giant bugs, strange plants, even a cockatrice. But I could always escape thanks to my experiences in tricking animals.” The younger woman thanked Ahuizotl in her mind. “Pepper spray and the training my mother gave me in close combat sure came in handy,” Daring replied smugly.

A displeased expression was on Firefly’s face, “Don’t get too cocky kiddo. I lost many good soldiers in these last few weeks because of overconfidence and all kinds of hostiles. I don’t want to explain Ancy why her daughter died on my watch.”

“Sorry Mrs. Firefly. But I didn’t survive to this day solely because of my good looks. I can back up my claims,” the archaeologist assured calmly.

The general acknowledged the response with a grunt.

Surprise was chipper since the first moment they met, “Do you ever had a close call with any of these creatures, Ms. Do?” So it was surprising when a much more serious tone was suddenly dominating her attitude, “And how are you coping with all that? It was already hard enough for a good part of our forces to adapt to all this. But the civilians? We established our HQ in Cloudsdale and I saw way too many times how some of them couldn’t live with the sudden changes. Sometimes... we can’t save everybody.”

Firefly’s voice was filled with sympathy, “I read the files and Captain Spitfire’s report. What happened wasn’t your fault, soldier. Humans are creatures of habit and despite our curious nature many want nothing more than a quiet little life where they can live in their own small world where everything makes sense. People fear the unknown and not all are able to accept our new reality.”

Daring felt reminded of the last letter of her mother.

The youngest of the three women shook emotionally her head, though she managed to keep the machine on its course without a problem. A pilot through and through, “I know! I… sorry General. I just can’t get the image out of my head. He pushed the gun to his head and no matter what I said or how much I promised him that we will find a way to beat this, he didn’t believe me and just... gave up. I feel responsible, that I somehow didn’t try hard enough.” She glanced briefly at their escort and blushed immediately, “S-sorry Ms. Do. I shouldn’t have bothered you with my problems. It was very unprofessional of me.”

Daring smiled encouragingly, “I don’t mind, really.”

Firefly looked between the two younger women, “What do we have here? Bounding time during the job?” Before the master sergeant could defend herself, the general interrupted in amusement, “Relax, will you? If talking with Daring here gets your head clear, I’m all for it.”

The archaeologist furrowed her eyes in surprise and faced her mother’s friend, “I really thought that you are much stricter. You know, as a supposed to be general.”

Firefly snorted like she was insulted, “And there we have proof that you don’t know me kiddo. I expect discipline if the situation demands it, yes, but otherwise I prefer a much more relaxed atmosphere. I never liked the bossy types, you can ask my former instructors. Nahh, I only pull rank if necessary. I learned that your subordinates will work at their best with a pointed direction, but you let them handle the details.”

Their vehicle moved quietly through the air, only the occasional strong wind current caused some turbulences.

Daring thought of something to lighten up the mood for Surprise, “Now that you mention it, there was an interesting encounter. When I met this cocatrice I old you about I was barely able to put it down in time with an aimed shot between the eyes before it could transform more than my leg. Lucky for me the cocatrice’s death reversed the effect its eyes had on my body. It wasn't my best moment, I have to admit. Who would have guessed that the myth about their petrifying gaze was true."

"Ha! I can still remember how I met my first special creature. It was a giant spider, at least 4 meter tall, thick, blood red in color and ugly. The shock nearly cost me my life, but its deafening scream snapped me out of it. Got it good with a lot of bullets. After that I was very tempted to order all units to do extra training for drugging a superior officer," Firefly told relaxingly and with a mischievous smile on the face.

Surprise sighed happily in her mind. She didn't want to be on the receiving end of the general's anger, no matter the reason. Her punitive training was legendary in the Wonderbolts and not in a positive way.

Their youngest member chuckled dryly, she appreciated their tries to cheer her up, “Thanks. I guess I needed that.”

The archaeologist shrugged, not that the flying pilot saw it, “I’m sure everybody was confused and scared after seeing a walking fantasy creature for the first time, some are just better with hiding their feelings or processing it. Hell, when I met a manticore for the first time I nearly fainted from shock.” She saw it as her chance to ask about a more personal topic, looking at the general, "Though there is something I want to know, Mrs. Firefly. How did you two met?" Daring enquired curiously, deciding to ask the question which was bugging her since the beginning.

Firefly raised an eyebrow, "Your mother and me? Well, before I pursued my path of becoming a Wonderbolt and she her own to become a historian, we went together to Canterlot High. Were the best friends at that time and still are to this very day. Afterwards we updated each other on our lives. Believe it or not, but I found out about your mother's... secret activities by accident. I wanted to give her an unannounced surprise visit to scare the egghead good” Firefly chortled, like she just discovered something funny. “I came in the right moment, because her house was ransacked by shady looking people at this time. They attacked me and demanded to know where the 'Sword of Legends' was or something like that. Needless to say that I took care of them, these thugs lacked the experience to face me in hand-to-hand combat on equal ground. I bound them with a lot of rope and waited for Ancy's return.” It sounded like the general was talking about the good old times.

Surprise laughed openly, “That’s one way to be introduced into your best friend’s secret life!”

Firefly shared her subordinates sentiment, “You should have seen her face when I sat on a chair and enjoyed a glass of her finest wine besides five caught wannabe bouncers. Obviously I demanded the honest truth from her after I just got attacked. Ancy told me everything. That she was much more than a simple historian, what she did, why she did it and why she never told a soul about it. I mean, hey, I could understand her and agreed. There exist things on this world that should never be known by anyone, this knowledge would lurk the strangest and most dangerous of people out of their holes, so I kept silent for her. Since then she reported me about everything you did, too, Ms. 'A.K. Yearling'."

"Great, couldn't she ask me first before she told others about my work?" Daring mumbled in annoyance to herself.

Firefly heard her, “Who do you think was your mother’s friend in the government all these years ago? The one helping with the creation of your fake identity?” she queried slyly.

The adventurer stared slack-jawed at the highest officer of the Wonderbolts, but had a certain shine in her eyes the battle-hardened woman knew too well.

“Tell me. Do you still work all alone on your jobs?” Firefly asked firmly.

Daring was caught off-guard by the sudden inquisition, “O-of course I do. Fighting with maniacs like Ahuizotl is much too dangerous for the inexperienced. I’m much better off solo. Why?”

Their group leader sighed in nostalgia, "Ah... to be young again and thinking that the world can't touch you.”

“I can take care of myself, thank you very much,” the archaeologist replied heatedly.

A frown let Daring wince, “Kiddo, your mother and I had to learn that lesson on our own, too. So take it as an advice from somebody with experience. I know, now you are young and probably think it's something like your holy duty to defend the historical legacy of our ancestors all on your own. That you can only trust yourself with keeping everything a secret and nobody else. But you are wrong.”

“What are you talking about? I have my mom if I really need help. And you said it yourself, there are things nobody should know about,” came the immediate reply.

Surprise took that as her cue, “I don’t believe you. Everybody needs friends and people they can trust, somebody to confide in and to share your darkest moments with. Otherwise you just risk to become indifferent and cold in the inside towards the world around you. Besides, I think being a hermit wouldn't suit you, Ms. Do. Yes, you have your mother to talk with, but that won't be enough in the long-run. You have to open your heart and at least give others a chance to prove themselves worthy of your trust, OK?

“Take me for example, I had your mother and later my husband, Rainbow Blaze. Two persons I could talk with about my life without lying to them at every corner. And now I’m happily married and have a great family." Firefly hoped that telling her friend’s daughter from her own experiences would give the young woman something to think about.

Daring groaned. "Mom told me once nearly exactly the same. I just don't want to endanger others. What is wrong with that?" She pouted, arms crossed.

"A noble cause. And don't think we tell you all that, because we want to criticize you for how you are deciding to live your own life. You are a grown woman after all and can make your own choices, see it more as a friendly advice. Don't toss potential friendships and connections aside without giving it a second thought just because of a self-imposed code of honor, that's all we ask," Firefly reasoned with a motherly smile.

A heavy sigh of defeat escaped the archaeologist's throat, “I know where you are coming from. I mean, the world went south anyway, so it's not like I could say that I achieved something in the end.” She chuckled humorlessly. “But that's not important right now. If it's not too much to ask, how is your own family doing in days like these? I can only imagine how hard it is for them," Daring asked much too concerned.

The general rolled her eyes at the archaeologist's try to navigate the conversation onto another topic, but took the obvious bait, for now, "When all this occurred I wasn't sure how to react. A part of me was in panic and wanted to take my family with me and relocate them somewhere safer, but the bigger part thought that it didn't matter. These changes took place on the entire world how it seemed. So I didn't tell my family everything from the true scale, because I didn't want to worry them yet about things beyond our control. I just ordered my daughter to stay in the city limits of Canterlot at some point and that she was forbidden from leaving the town after nightfall. We had a long discussion until I let her go to this summer camp with her friends after I told her about the sightings of mythol-"

"You told your own daughter about everything!? Didn't she declare you crazy for saying such things?" Daring interrupted, baffled.

The Wonderbolt general smirked like a Cheshire cat, "Don’t worry kiddo. I made her promise to not tell anyone and to keep it a secret. It was hard at first, because she wanted to help, saying she was more than ready. But I digress. Tell me, did you see the 'special' videos which went around in the internet about Canterlot High School since the Fall Formal last year?"

Daring looked confused, but she remembered them well. Her mother forced her to watch them for some reason, but even stranger was the strong frown on Ancient’s face whenever another of these videos came up. It was like her mother was… concerned?

Four particularly well made things got stuck.

One video showed how a student put on a crown and suddenly transformed into a real life demoness, big as half a building. Other teenagers, who grew ponytails, wings and what looked like the ears of an... equine?

Then three girls who summoned giant seahorses and floated on the spot with unholy red eyes during the final of a by the school organized music festival. This one even made it into the news because of the reported sightings of a giant horse-like creature at the sky.

At this point she was sure that Canterlot High solely wanted to promote itself with all those horse-related videos...

The traditional Friendship Games was a freaky one. Flesh-eating plants came out of nowhere and a student of Crystal Prep went all dark angel, later fighting the same girl who was a former demon, but then a, well, good angel-like being.

And then there were of course those gigantic rainbow laser shows.

It couldn’t be! Daring Do’s more and more derailing expression made it hard for Firefly not to laugh, “Seriously?! That was all real?!"

She saw much, but a part of her never wanted to believe that this all could have been more than fake, it deeply shocked the archeologist.

"Yep!. One of these girls is my daughter, Rainbow Dash,” the Wonderbolt answered proudly. “I swear she was always a hothead, a trait I wished she wouldn’t have inherited by me… anyway, after she could transform into a pony-girl it just became stressful for me. Somehow she firmly believed that they, teenagers, should play heroes from this point on, needlessly endangering themselves. When I confronted her with the images the satellites made from the Fall Formal Rainbow literally begged me and I quote: 'Don't take Sunset away and perform cruel experiments on her! Please mom, I swear she's a better person now and wants to change! I do everything you want!' Needless to say that she told me everything I wanted to know.”

Surprise didn’t contain herself like her superior officer and laughed wholeheartedly, “I can totally see her doing that! Dash is very loyal to her friends, but was always trying her hardest to keep up her image of a tough woman in public like her life depended on it.”

Daring lacked context and understood nothing, “Sunset who?”

“Get this, responsible for everything that happened at the Fall Formal was this teenager who transformed into a demon and another one, a princess no less. From what Rainbow Dash explained to me, or still remembered, this Sunset Shimmer girl stole a magical artifact from said princess and wanted to become the ruler of her homeland with a mind controlled-” Firefly snorted in amusement, “-teenager army. Well, afterwards when my girl and her friends shot their strange rainbow beam upon her, they turned her back into a human.”

Daring looked for any signs of a lie, her disbelief could be heard in her voice, “A... princess? Rainbow beam?”

The writer of her own adventures couldn’t express how many things were wrong with what she just heard.

And she was more than enough around secretive people over the last years to know that the general withheld information from her. Somebody could call it a gut feeling. But it didn’t matter. Her mother’s friend was most forthcoming until now.

However, Daring was the last person who had the right to judge others for keeping their cards close to the chest anyway.

Firefly held her arms up in a surrendering motion, “I know, I know, I didn’t believe it at first either.”

Ancient Seeker’s daughter composed herself,“Alright, let’s say I want to believe you… what happened during this so called ‘Battle of the Bands’?”

“Simply put? Those 'Dazzlings' were in reality sirens from what I was told who fed off negative energy, using their magic to let everyone argue with each other. Again Rainbow and her friends pulled it somehow off to defeat a supernatural threat and saved the day,” came the neutral reply.

“And the Friendship Games? It was always a tradition of CHS and Crystal Prep to compete with each other in different categories, but seriously? They wiped the floor with us. Every. Single. Time,” Surprise said sourly. At the resulting silence the pilot added, “I went to Canterlot High before I became a Wonderbolt.”

Firefly grinded with her teeth in anger after being reminded, “It was a very close call. These strange plants nearly killed and my daughter was in the middle of all that, you can imagine that I nearly flipped when I saw it. She reported me that her newest friend, some Twilight Sparkle, discovered magic from her lab at Crystal Prep with help of her machines. It seemed she created a device that could absorb it, what led in the very end of the games to her transformation into this dark angelic being. It was close call insofar, because if they wouldn't have stopped her and saved the girl in the next five minutes then the president and I would have had no other choice than to order her execution.”

The only not-soldier of the group felt out of her league, “I’m all for saving the world, but isn’t that a little overkill? I thought she was just a teenager?”

The general was unimpressed, “As you might imagine, the 'Destruction of dimensional barriers' counts in our opinion as a clear threat for our country. President Fancy Pants couldn't let her continue so he was shortly before ordering her death penalty. No matter what my daughter would have thought of me afterwards, I couldn't risk everyone's life on Earth for the sake of one mad little girl. Lucky for her the situation could be solved peacefully," Firefly finished her explanation, exhausted in the end, because she remembered the amount of stress she had during the final of the Friendship Games.

Daring Do wasn't sure how to feel about all these revelations, sure she had her own adventures, but that was ridiculous! If Firefly was right, and she didn't doubt it after everything what happened, then these students knew already about magic from a very early point on.

But there was another question in her head on that topic, still, "When you and the president knew about everything, then how was it possible that the girls were never targeted by someone from the government? I can't imagine that every single human just ignored them, because they simply thought: 'That can't be real.' Someone had to be more curious about the truth from the higher-ups. Especially after everything that happened at CHS."

Firefly smiled knowingly, "There are two reasons why they were never taken to some cliched vault or were otherwise harmed. And the sirens somehow managed to escape and were never found again, who knows what happened to them.”

She held a finger up, “The first reason is that President Fancy Pants is one of the most reasonable and greatest men I met in my entire life and and we were close friends. When the Amarerican Defense Force, who was, among other things, tasked with the analysis of satellite imagery, found out about the Fall Formal they immediately informed the president and showed him the material. He recognized Rainbow, because I once showed him a picture of my daughter and it's hard to forget Rainbow Dash when you saw her. Now, because he knew that she was involved he informed me first and nobody else after giving a direct order to the ones who saw everything that it had to be kept a state secret until he decided otherwise. I promised him, and played out all my influence and acquired prestige through my accomplishments during my time in the military to this day, that I would talk about what happened there with Rainbow Dash and tell him afterwards. He promised me in return that he would await my report and fell judgement afterwards.”

A smile of sympathy was on Daring’s lips, “Yeah, he was a great man. Mom once told me that he knew about our family business and not once were we paid a visit of the unpleasant kind.”

Firefly didn’t show it, but this revelation surprised her. Ancy never told her that the president knew about her.

She continued, more agitated, “The second reason is more personal. I am a mother and will fight every demon in hell if it means to protect my daughter and ensuring her safety, President Fancy Pants knew and respected that.”

Surprise kept silent but had still problems to accept that the hothead of her former soccer team was the blood-related daughter of the Thunder Demon.

“After Rainbow told me everything I immediately returned to the capitol and gave Fancy Pants my report. However, they were teenagers and he would never allow that any harm would come to minors under his command. Furthermore I promised him that my daughter and her friends never did anything wrong, argued that they even managed to pacify the former demoness and how I would personally make sure that no major harm would come to Canterlot City’s citizens by Sunset Shimmer, should she try anything anew.” Firefly sighed mentally. He didn’t make it easy for her, but he was the most powerful man of the world and had more things to consider than their friendship.

“Well, it seems everything worked out in the end,” Daring commented gladly.

The general nodded in agreement, “He trusted me, gave me the benefit of a doubt and ordered that all future images of the satellites concerning any events related to Canterlot High School were to be sent directly to him and nobody else. That was the reason why nobody knew about the whole magic business, because no-one was ever informed in the first place except him and me. He showed me everything about the Battle of the Bands and the Friendship Games, too. We put all our hope and luck into the 'ignorance card’, that people who saw the videos would believe how all this wasn't possible in reality. A fake.”

“Yeah, even as a witness it is pretty hard to come to terms with everything. I couldn’t believe it at first either and I literally had to defend myself from aggressive toothpicks!” Surprise agreed jokingly.

The timberwolves never knew what hit them.

“Rainbow Dash and I had a compromise, I would keep curious eyes away from them and Canterlot High School. In the meantime they made sure that they wouldn't create any mayhem with their new abilities and that she kept silent on her part about everything in regard to our deal. On this way it was ensured that these girls could continue living a normal life. During the next two bigger events after the Fall Formal my daughter begged me at the cellphone that I should let them handle everything and have trust in their abilities. I did and in the end it was the right call to make, I never regretted it," Firefly ended her tale. Then she noticed something that striked her as odd, "Now that I think about it, Rainbow never invited any of her friends to our home since the Fall Formal. Well, except Fluttershy.”

"Gee, I wonder why...," Daring thought sarcastically.

Speaking of, "OK, I get it, but there are things I don't fully understand. This purple girl in the Fall Formal videos was called ‘Princess Twilight Sparkle'. I thought you said that there was already a Twilight Sparkle who found out about magic and nearly committed genocide during the Friendship Games? And why do they look like identical twins?" the adventurer asked sincerely confused.

"Ah, that. I asked Rainbow the same after the games and she said that the land where Sunset Shimmer and this Princess Twilight came from is in a parallel world to ours. So the princess seemed to be the other Twilight's 'pony counterpart'. Apparently it’s possible to have a talking equine version of yourself running around there," Firefly answered a little unsure herself.

The archaeologist and their pilot were floored.

"Another world? That seems pretty far fetched, even for today’s standards, don’t you think?” Daring enquired in wonder, she considered the possibilities.

Shoulders were shrugged. "It could be worse. And I know my girl, she would never come up with a fabricated story involving colorful ponies. Believe me.” The Wonderbolt leader looked thoughtfully into the sky, “And I searched for the human counterpart of Sunset Shimmer all over the world, but we never found any data about the existence of another Sunset. And the girl who visits CHS has no documented records either. It is like she never existed before she enrolled there a few years ago."

"And what about the readings, General? You said that the Twilight Sparkle of this world found out about magic, somehow. What was with others who accomplished the same?" Surprise asked this time. She was very fascinated by the tale, too.

"That was more luck than anything else. We found out that the day Twilight Sparkle discovered magic was the day of the final of the Battle of the Bands. And it was a local phenomenon, solely measurable in Canterlot to that time. At least that's our theory, because nobody in the country reported about measuring anything unusual except from there. Two other scientists, both from Canterlot, too, sent us similar results that day, claiming they found 'a new form of energy'. But we declared everything as not verified and after we ordered them to recreate their data, they weren't able in doing so. What led to the conclusion that only the great amount of used magic during the final was something that could be measured with luck for a short few moments. That and only Twilight Sparkle was able to build a magic detecting device," Firefly replied to her fellow Wonderbolt.

"I see... err... what happened with President Fancy Pants anyway? I didn't hear anything about him for a long time," Daring asked carefully.

Firefly got a thousand-yard stare. "I... don't know to be honest. Before everything went completely south and internet, satellites, cellphones and other ways of communication died on us, the president called the highest officers of the military into his office and gave us his... last order. I won't forget it, he said that we received last reports from all over the country and the entire world that great changes happened all at once, villages and towns would be in danger because of greatly increasing numbers of creatures and we had no way to be mobile enough to act accordingly. At this point our ways of transportation were already limited, because we needed to teach and learn first how to use what was left, like our plane here. Fancy Pants informed us that he would lead the defense of the capitol to the best of his abilities with the help of General Razor Eye.”

Daring blinked, “Really? I thought our country’s military counted to the best organized and equipped armies of the world?”

Firefly sighed, shaking her head, “You have to understand, Fancy Pants wasn't only a good leader of the USA, but a president of peace, too. By now he was elected for nearly 7 years, shortly before a new election against his rival, Senator Blueblood, would have taken place. That being said, he ordered a depletion of military expenditures and an investment into culture and economy. In other words our military wasn't anymore what it once was 20-30 years ago. And why shouldn't that have been the case anyway? We lived for a long time in an era of peace with our neighbours, there was no need for a big military. Such arming would have made other countries nervous at best, forcing them to do the same for safety measures.”

Surprise blew a raspberry in distaste, “I know why I joined the Wonderbolts. Geopolitics is the worst.”

“So he stayed in the capitol? Is that it?” the archaeologist queried unsurely.

The oldest of the women wasn’t sure how they would react, but lying wouldn’t do any good now, “He told us that he couldn't call himself a president anymore in good conscious when he had no possibilities to defend the citizens of the US on his own. I remember it clearly, how he stood in front of us.” She smiled warmly.

His last worlds as the leader of the free world.

“My dear generals and advisers I have the honor to call my friends. Our great country is in turmoil and faces grave danger at many places at once in this very moment I speak to you. The entire world is changing and there seems to be nothing we can do to stop it, we are powerless.

“All efficient possibilities of transportation and most ways of communication are destroyed, same for most parts of our military equipment and we don't know what caused all this. Hope is our strongest weapon in these dark hours, my friends, so I shall give you your last order.

“Split up with your remaining units, no matter if navy, army or air force, it is not important any longer to what group you count yourself. Defend our people, the innocent citizens of this fair country, defend them to the best of your abilities and if you manage to secure your own position, try to aid others in accomplishing the same. They will look up to you, thinking that you will find answers for them, presenting them a perspective for the future in all this. You have more responsibilities now and it doesn't seem fair, but I'm certain you will prevail. Try to succeed and save as many lives as possible.

“And most importantly, try to find your own families after you did your duty, they will need you. Now more than ever before. They all count on you, I count on you, the future of the USA depends on you.

“One day we may meet again, but until this day comes you are on your own. I pray that our country will rise anew from the ashes, when the storm is over and a new leader arises."

The attendant humans looked shocked and irritated at their president.

He simply chuckled, “There is no need to be surprised, my friends, I portrayed the era of old and look where we are! No, this country needs fresh blood in order to succeed in the upcoming new age. Ladies and gentlemen, you have your orders. May the divine one be with you, with us all and Amarerica. Dismissed!”

“That was five days ago. After a lot of preparations and distributing orders and supplies I took most of my Wonderbolts to Cloudsdale to secure the city and it was just in time, too. A huge band of criminals wanted to establish their tyrannic rule there, because the local governor and his delegation never returned from Canterlot. Truly horrible what happened to Canterlot City, it was a massacre. I received only reports from the survivors about beings made of fire and armor who attacked the city without mercy, that doesn't tell me anything." Firefly had a look of pure anger and defeat upon her face.

"What do you mean? What happened?" Daring enquired, confused.

"Hm? How do you not-oh, right, I forgot. Everything is destroyed and burned down to the ground. We arrived with our forces in Cloudsdale three days ago and after we cleaned the city from these dregs, the citizens told us that Governor Blue Sky left for a political visit in Canterlot and went missing ever since. We investigated and only found the smoldering remains of an once great city, nothing more than molten ruins, filled by scorched corpses,” the general explained grimly.

Surprise had a question of her own, “Madame? What are our fellow Wonderbolts doing as long as we are gone?”

“Before we left I ordered Colonel Wind Rider and Captain Spitfire to organize search parties to find more survivors, to take care of the provision of Canterlot's refugees who managed to escape and to provide the defense of Cloudsdale at their own discretion in my absence. I don't know what happened since we left," Firefly elucidated briefly.

The pilot wasn’t sure how to feel about the answer, “I see… thank you General.”

Daring witnessed much, but nothing could have prepared her for these news. After her recovery and with a pale face she whispered, "C-Canterlot was destroyed?” Her eyes widened. “Wait a minute! What is with your daughter and her friends from Canterlot High? Could magic be the cause for what happened in Canterlot? I mean these 'beings of fire' surely didn't attack out of boredom just to vanish afterwards. Someone had to be responsible, maybe another being similar to the sirens you mentioned?"

Sure, the Dazzlings sounded much less threatening than whatever was responsible for Canterlot, but maybe the girls, she couldn't believe that Daring Do would count one day on teens for help, knew something about it.

Firefly showed herself more relaxed, to Daring's confusion, "Thanks to the earnings from the Battle of the Bands CHS raised enough money for a field trip and they chose a summer camp as their destination. They left Canterlot over a week ago and should have returned yesterday, but my scouts reported that no bus was found on the streets between Canterlot and Camp Everfree. I have to trust that they are managing on their own with the help of their principals. I'm sure they are in Ponyville, it's the closest town and I couldn't send our forces this far away until now. From Cloudsdale to Canterlot is one thing, but Ponyville is located much further in the south at the borders of the Everfree Forest.”

Daring could only admire the woman. If she was in Firefly’s position, missing her daughter, the archaeologist would have been a nervous wreck by now. Well, most likely.

“And Rainbow Dash knows that she can just come to Cloudsdale. Fluttershy and she are childhood friends and our families planned to spend there a few days together for a change of pace. Her father is there and helps them out in this moment I guess. Well, that was the original plan before everything went down the drain that is. On this way Blaze and the Shys wanted to make last preparations and left Canterlot before the invasion took place." Firefly wasn't sure what she would have done when her daughter or husband died in the attack.

"Madame. I know her from my own time at CHS and fear a girl like Rainbow Dash won't just leave her friends in a situation like this after everything that happened, especially when she knows about Canterlot's fate. I bet she completely forgot by now that Cloudsdale was even an option for her and the others to take and just rolled with it... like she mostly does," Surprise voiced her opinion, grinning brightly.

Firefly facepalmed, of course. "That girl..."

The archeologist looked questioningly at the general. "Maybe it's not my place, but... are you not concerned for your daughter's well-being? Shouldn't you bring her and the others to Ponyville then?"

Firefly just laughed amusedly at the daring woman's shy attitude all of a sudden, "You can believe me I want to do nothing more than sending someone over and bring Dashie to Cloudsdale, but it's not that easy, kiddo. I can't just leave them all alone in utter chaos without taking command and bring some order into the left mess what was formerly a full functioning society. They all count on me, like President Fancy Pants said, I see it in their eyes. All of our forces are occupied or otherwise bound by various tasks like for example fortifying our position or scouting out the area for potential threats and survivors. And we have nobody of our already thinly spread troops to spare. Besides, your mother is right”

“Huh?” was all that came to Daring’s mind.

“When we want to have a chance to withstand the upcoming storm we have to go at some point into the offense ourselves. We need more information and something like a real goal to achieve. Until now we only reacted, but never took action on our own and if going to Zebrica can provide us with such I'll go gladly with you on this mission into the unknown. Personally. I won't send others for me and sit around somewhere in the background playing distant watcher. Specially with a sensitive mission like this on our hands," she declared with fire in her purple eyes.

And because Ancy asked her from one mother to another to aid her daughter.

"I see. That's a lot to take in for quite some time," Daring stated, feeling mentally exhausted from the sheer amount of challenges they had to face in the future.

Facing wannabe villains and greedy thieves was one thing, but something of this scale?

She turned her head and focused on their pilot, "Surprise? How is it with you? How old are you even? You look so young, younger than me for sure. No offense, but I was certain the Wonderbolts didn't have people this young who already owned the rank of 'Master Sergeant'.”

The young Wonderbolt in question turned her head and smiled widely. During the flight, so Firefly and Daring had the right to feel nervous. A seagull hit the front window. Very nervous.

She replied chipperly, "None taken!" And turned her head back before she continued to talk. "I'm 19 years old, last year Spitfire, Soarin, Misty Fly, Fleetfoot, High Winds, Blaze and I played in the soccer team at CHS and we all wanted to become members of the Wonderbolts later on. Originally to enter the team for being stunt flyer and awing the masses with neat tricks, but obviously we have other roles to fill now. As the General already said, our numbers are widely spread, the biggest part of our forces was tasked with enforcing law and order in Cloudsdale and keeping the city safe. That's the reason why many ranks had to be filled out after qualifications, intelligence and talents and no longer age and experience.”

"But doesn't that mean you saw what happened at the Fall Formal?" Daring wouldn't judge if someone needed more semester.

A light laughter filled the cockpit, "Nope! We graduated last summer, so we didn't see it in person, but we got enough personal reports from other friends who were there and so many people at once don't lie to you with this kind of story. Besides, there were videos, very realistic ones. Heck, I even saw the destroyed front entrance and the crater with my own two eyes.”

Their ‘VIP’ saw it as an opportunity to ask more questions about this mysterious pony girl, “Do you by chance know anything about Sunset Shimmer?”

Firefly and Daring could literally hear the uncertainty in Surprise’s voice, “Well, she was always a bully and blackmailed others if necessary to get what she wanted or had other dirty tricks up her sleeves. The thing was, she used mostly those two weirdos, Snips and Snails, as her hentchmen so we were always careful enough around them or avoided these two and Shimmer completely. It didn't help her that we had a big fat reputation going for us and were respected, because we won much in our time as Wondercolts in soccer. She never had a chance to annoy us and had to play ‘Queen Bee’ at the school with knowing that she couldn't touch us. But we all heard how much she improved her behaviour and what she did for CHS and others, so we are ready to grant her the benefit of the doubt the next time we see her to judge the new Sunset Shimmer for ourselves.”

The next bit was more directed at her superior officer, very respectful and polite, “To be honest, Madame, before you explained everything, I always wondered how it was possible that such things could happen at the school and the government never did anything. It was so... strange. Now it makes much more sense, I didn't even know that you were Rainbow Dash's mother and she was already a Wondercolt before we graduated. She never mentioned you," Surprise said surprisedly.

Firefly just chuckled dryly and rolled her eyes, "Yeah, that's my daughter for you. We once had a talk about that topic, too. She never wants to mention me to others, because she fears greatly that it would destroy her chance to 'show her own awesomeness' to others and proof herself to everyone in progress. Her worry is that people would stop judging her for what she could do herself, but just accept it and think it was expected in case she achieved something. Alone from the knowledge that Dash was the daughter of the 'legendary General Firefly'. That being said, Slowpoke, my daughter doesn't like to talk about me with others at all," the general of the Wonderbolts explained in an evenly and slightly annoyed manner.

"Slowpoke?" Daring asked the blushing pilot with a teasing grin.

"Yeahhhh... one unwritten rule for the newbies in our ranks is that you get a fitting and mostly embarrassing nickname for something you gained attention with on your first day as a Bolt. It even gets stitched on your personal jacket and serves as an inside joke and reminder. I got the name 'Slowpoke', because I overslept at my first day and had to hurry in order to catch up with the others who already trained at that point," Surprise answered quietly.

The both woman behind her laughed at the pilot's plight.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? Shouldn't you ask someone from the military or police if they could help you? We live in dangerous times and I'm sure they are reasonable enough. Firefly ordered them to assist all citizens with important problems until we established a new official command in Cloudsdale." Rainbow Blaze tried worriedly to convince his friends in a rough voice.

He was an athletic man in his early forties, had pale, light grayish persian blue skin and moderate gamboge colored eyes. His hair was colored in a similar scheme like his daughter, Rainbow Dash, in a light brilliant red, a light brilliant vermilion, light gold, moderate sap green, brilliant cornflower blue and a moderate violet. He wore orange shorts to below the knees with white stripes on the sides, green sneakers with a red lightning bolt on the top of each shoe and red soles, a dark blue shirt with sleeves to the elbows and lastly silver colored sweatbands around his wrists.

In the moment he and the family of his daughter's childhood friend, Fluttershy, sat together in one of the big newly converted buildings that served for the massively increased population of Cloudsdale as an emergency shelter until a better option was available. Work in progress.

The city on its own was a sight to behold. Most of its architecture was adapted after the ancient metropolis Rome. The town even had a giant colosseum where many big sport events were held until recently, nobody was in the mood, nor was it the time, to play soccer, baseball or anything else in these days anyway.

"Oh, thank you for your concern, Blaze. You are too kind, but we don't want to be a bother for others," Mrs. Shy replied calmly in a soft spoken manner. A grateful smile on her face.

"Indeed. We know that we should be careful, but we have to check if our home still stands or if it is even possible to reach it anymore. The refugees told a lot of g-gruesome stories about what they saw. We have to try, otherwise we are going crazy here. Fluttershy is out there, still. She may be a strong girl and I'm sure Rainbow and her friends will support her, but we can't stay here and do nothing. We want to go to Canterlot and estimate the damage for ourselves and who knows, maybe our daughters are on their way to Canterlot, too," Mr. Shy added in a kind and warm tone.

For Fluttershy's parents she was the assertive one in the family and they were sure that their daughter could hold her own if push came to shove. Before Firefly left for an important mission, or so she told them, the general shared her thoughts that all students and the principals of Canterlot High, who were in Camp Everfree, should be sound and safe in Ponyville. She assured them that the Wonderbolts would try to find them during her absence or after her return at the latest.

Mr. Shy was a man in his late forties. He had grayish turquoise eyes, light amaranthish gray hair, strangely in the form of a cream topping, a similar colored mustache and pale, light grayish malachite green skin. He wore a violet blue sweater with three white clouds as a symbol upon it on the chest, black red cloth slacks and white shoes.

Mrs. Shy was younger than her husband, a little fragile looking, in her early forties and had moderate cerise colored eyes, moderate raspberry hair in the form of a bouffant, pale, light grayish amber skin and huge turquoise glasses. She wore golden earrings and a gold made pearl necklace, a picture of three flowers, orange, pink and green, decorated her carmine red skirt that reached below the knees. A short-sleeved green shirt and pink ladies' shoes completed her outfit.

The only son of the family only listened until now, a feat in its own right, and wasn't nervous at all. Worries and tension were unknown to Zephyr Breeze. He was the younger brother of Fluttershy and still, if his parents just knew what he saw they would probably faint. No, his big sis counted on the Breeze and he would never do something to endanger her secrets.

He promised.

It happened shortly before the Friendship Games, when Fluttershy forgot her lunch at home at this special weekend when she helped once more Ms. Treehugger at her animal shelter. Seriously, Flutters was lucky that he was such a good brother and decided to bring her the forgotten lunch. When he stepped into the shelter, the youngest of the family couldn't find his big sister, so he searched further back.

His timing couldn't have been better. Fluttershy brushed the fur of a dog at this time and suddenly, he saw it. Fluttershy's hair grew much longer in the form of a ponytail and honest for good wings and horse ears appeared on her. Of course, he made himself known, no sense in potentially scaring the girl.

She was so distressed that he saw her how she, Fluttershy called it ‘ponied up’, and pleaded with tears in her eyes if he could keep it a secret from their parents. Zephyr Breeze agreed obviously. Then he remembered all the videos he saw about his sis and her friends, so he wanted to know if everything was true and explained him every detail about the Fall Formal and the Battle of the Bands.

Once more pleading to keep quiet about it. Sheesh! What was Fluttershy's problem? Didn't she know how unbelievable cool it was that they could do such things? Why keeping this a secret? He agreed once more nonetheless.

Zephyr Breeze wondered how he could come to his own powers, even if it was too girly for his tastes and Not. His. Style. Zephyr wanted to impress this one girl he sometimes met when Fluttershy brought her to their house. Rainbow Dash. He knew in the moment he saw the chromatic daredevil that she just wanted to meet him and a future together was destined to happen. What respected girl didn't want to be recognized by the Breeze anyway? He found it very charming how Rainbow Dash always denied that she was there for him, maybe she was just shy like his sister? It didn't matter, he knew right then that this girl stole his normally impregnable heart. She was good, there was nothing else to say. Zephyr would wait for her until Rainbow was able to confess her undying love for him. It was just a matter of time and he could wait.

He saw the newest videos after the Friendship Games and asked his sister in person about everything that happened. Especially how Rainbow saved the day when this nasty plants attacked, it made her even more admirable and all that solely so she could impress him.

Touching.

Now Fluttershy was most likely in Ponyville with the other campers, after all they will have heard by now about Canterlot, but if someone could pull through it was his big sister. People always saw her as a meek and weak person, but in reality she could be one of the strongest. Her kindness was unmatched and still, she wouldn't hide. No, Fluttershy fought alongside her friends and did her best. Sometimes, Zephyr Breeze wished he didn't promise her to keep everything she did a secret from their parents, if they knew... well, it would calm them down, a little bit.

"Mr. Blaze, there is nothing to worry about. We will come back after our curiosity is satisfied. No need to be nervous," Zephyr Breeze finally decided to comment in an overconfident tone.

Rainbow Blaze moved his head to look at Zephyr.

Zeph was tall for his age, Rainbow's father mused. Not less than 1.85 meter and lanky, a glint of arrogance danced in the boy's grayish cerise colored eyes.

He could only sigh internally, his friends' son had a good heart and meant well, but sometimes he didn't seem to see the seriousness of their situation or seeing reason at all. Example enough was his affection for Rainbow Dash, Firefly once told him that their daughter was annoyed that he always tried to flirt with her and didn't seem to understand that she wasn't interested at all. In fact he seemed to hold a narcissistic belief that Rainbow Dash had an obsession with him.

Talking about awkward.

From what Blaze knew he had a problem with finishing something he started. Rainbow Dash told Firefly and him in private that she had the feeling that he could one day become a freeloader, what earned her instantly a scolding from his wife, because he used the kindness and the meek nature of his parents to his advantage. Before Firefly could give the next lecture she added fastly that she meant that he didn't do it out of ill will, but because his parents didn't have a single mean bone in them and wouldn't have the assertiveness to show him his boundaries. Rainbow said that Fluttershy noticed that his parents gave him too much leeway, too and sometimes tried, with mixed results, to show him that Zephyr couldn't behave like he desired at every point of his life.

"Zeph, you know like everyone else what happened in the last days and weeks. What happened with Canterlot City. Our old quiet life is over until things calmed down and we re-established and repaired our country. We don't know how it looks like for the most part outside of Cloudsdale since everything started, so what I want to say is: Don't get overconfident and try to keep a cool head. OK boy?" Blaze tried to explain with a half-smile.

He hoped that the teenager was able to keep his ego in check. Rainbow Blaze feared that Zephyr's eagerness to impress could create unintentionally dangerous situations for others.

Already alone because of this reason he wanted to talk them out of the suicidal idea to leave the town without any form of protection.

"Of course! No problem, Mr. Blaze! The Breeze has everything under control," Zephyr assured, laughing. The older man's eye twitched lightly.

"Zephyr, dear, he just wants to help you. I think you should, maybe, heed his words," Mrs. Shy clarified quietly. It nearly sounded a little bit like scolding.

To the mother's joy he had the decency to notice the meaning behind her words and blushed, "Yes, mom..."

"I think I can help you out with your dilemma," a male voice with a Trottingham-accent offered.

Judging by the uniform he was clearly a Wonderbolt. Young in appearance, with white skin, orange hair with a pale orange streak and cerulean eyes.

"Who are you, young man?" Mr Shy asked kindly.

"I'am Senior Master Sergeant Fire Streak. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir. Captain Spitfire and Colonel Wind Rider have no use for me in this moment, as I just returned from a patrol in the north. I came here to check how the people from Canterlot were doing and if I could help anyone as long as I have no other task. Helping you to reach the lost city? That's right up my alley. Mr. Blaze is right, it would be much too dangerous for you to leave Cloudsdale without any support, we have more to worry about than simple animals, much more," Fire Streak informed the quartet seriously.

"T-thank you, dear. We don't want to be a bother for you. I'm sure every Wonderbolt has more important matters to attend, but if you insist. We are very grateful for the offer," Mrs. Shy said and bowed her head.

"Fire Streak? Did you find anything interesting during your patrol?" Rainbow Blaze enquired casually.

He heard that one team was sent to investigate if the Ghastly Gorge could be used as some kind of outpost for the military. Nobody returned and because it wasn't possible to contact the team the commanding officers decided to stay away from this place until more details were known. So it was relaxing to know that Fire's team returned alive.

"Well, sir, we investigated the northern area of Cloudsdale until we saw the Crystal Mountains in the far distance, at some point we had to return though. Some kind of giant flying beasts came from the mountains and moved in wide circles on the sky, we returned immediately before they could spot us. We Wonderbolts are here to protect, build a defense, a HQ for the Wonderbolts and hold this position until things calmed down enough until we can move out to other locations," Fire Streak explained with discipline.

"Alright. I trust in you. I have to stay here in Firefly's absence. My wife had the idea to create a militia and ordered Colonel Wind Rider personally to organize everything as long as she's away on her own mission,” Rainbow Blaze informed the others in a business-like tone.

The Wonderbolt nodded his head, he heard about the Colonel's ‘new mission’.

Of course he was annoyed by receiving such a task in the first place, but Firefly is the general of the Wonderbolts, her word was law for now.

"Does that mean you are participating to become a member of the future militia of Cloudsdale? That's sound soooo amazing!" Zephyr Breeze was impressed that Rainbow's father would take on the hard training necessary to become a helpful support for the Wonderbolts.

He would obviously help in his own way... somehow.

"That's right. I, like many others I talked with, want to do that to help, to be useful and to relieve the troops, so that they are not bound to the city all the time. On this way they can spread out and go after new objectives. I was a professional fitness couch, so I can bring in my experience if necessary to help creating training plans for the future recruits." Blaze looked at Fire Streak. "I count on you to keep this family safe, they are not only my friends, but the family of my daughter's childhood friend, Fluttershy. I couldn't look her into the eyes anymore if something happened to them, understood?" Rainbow Blaze instructed the Senior Master Sergeant in an authoritative voice.

The soldier in question saluted proudly, like Blaze was actually his commanding officer and not just a civilian, "Yes, sir!" Or maybe he did it, because the man in front of him was the husband of his general.

"We will be fine. You should go now. It's impolite to let the Colonel wait for too long," Mr. Shy commented with an amused chuckle.

Rainbow Blaze nodded his head one last time before he left.

"That’s our cue. We should get going as long as the day is young. Please, follow me to southern gate,” Streak requested patiently. The Shys followed quietly, even Zephyr.

The younger brother of Fluttershy was impressed by the constructed defense of the city. Thinking of things he heard and saw in the duration of his stay here.

Cloudsdale had highways and other roads which would lead to the city, but the smaller routes were closed off by improvised walls of dead giant trucks, massive walls of manually crafted walls of wooden palisades and bollards. It helped that only a few extra routes except the main highways from the north and south existed, so they didn't have to set up for long. The inhabitants helped speeding up the procedure, grateful after the violent takeover of the criminals was prevented by the military.

Snipers were positioned on many rooftops over the entire city, especially the borders. The Wonderbolts did their best to fortify the city.

With heavy weaponry, what was left at least, the north and south were heavily guarded by soldiers, supported by barbed wire, fences and first watchtowers were already in planning. Then he saw the miniguns and automatic cannons on military vehicles, lined up at the entrance to the city like a wall of death for everyone who got the idea to attack Cloudsdale.

Seeing all these vehicles resulted in a question he wanted to be answered, "Why do we have to go by foot anyway? Can't we use a car or something like what these guys here have? It's not like we wouldn't come back as soon as we finished our business in Canterlot," Zephyr Breeze asked Fire Streak in laziness and confusion. Why couldn't they reach their destination with style?

"Two reasons. For one, the supply of gasoline and other forms of fuel stopped completely since at least a week what means that most gas stations are empty by now. At least the ones in the city. What leads to the second reason we don't use any vehicles. We have to spare the remaining fuel as much as possible and station them at specific locations, serving as a defense or otherwise. So we have to do most things on foot nowadays," the Wonderbolt replied in a rehearsed manner.

Many people asked him and his fellow soldiers already why they didn't just use vehicles instead of walking. Zephyr took the answer in silence.

"Sir! Where do you plan to go?" asked a nearby woman with the rank of an airman from behind a desk, sitting besides others.

They were ordered to document everything important, who left the town, when, the estimated time of absence and return and for what reason, in case someone went missing. Especially the troops were under the strict order to inform others about everything concerning reasons why they left the city.

"I accompany this family to Canterlot, because they want to-" Fire Streak looked embarrassedly at the parents. "-why do you want to go to Canterlot anyway? I only heard that you planned to visit Canterlot on your own, not more."

"We wanted to witness for ourselves what became out of the city and check if our own home is still standing. But most importantly... we hope to find our daughter somewhere, with luck. Blaze said that she and the other campers from Canterlot High are most likely in Ponyville, but we wanted to make sure. Just in case they decided to visit the city, too," Mr. Shy answered calmly and with a fatherly smile.

"And I'll help them so that these civilians are not on their own and have someone who protects them. We should be back before the day is over," Fire Streak completed the informations for the wingman to write down.

And because he didn’t want to face Rainbow Blaze's fury in case something happened to them. Or worse, General Firefly.

"I see. Good luck, sir. I pray for your safe return," responded the newly appointed bureaucrat with a nod of her head.

Author's Note

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Seems the action is intensifying ever so slowly. We all know what that means. You have to suffer more. :pinkiecrazy:

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 21 - First Hint

The flight was long and bad for Daring Do's nerves. What should they expect to encounter? Were trolls friendly? Would they attack them? She didn't know and that fact drove her crazy.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Surprise, "Finally! The land of Zebrica is in sight!" the pilot informed happily.

"What does the fuel gage say, Master Sergeant?" Firefly enquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Plan J has to be set in motion shortly, General!" came the giddy reply.

"At the risk of regretting it. What is 'Plan J'? Daring Do bit in the sour apple and asked.

"Well, this plane was never made for such long flights without stops in between, so the fuel will go empty on us before we reach Zebrica," Firefly explained like it was obvious. "And 'Plan J' means-"

"What?! You wanna tell me that we will crash into the ocean soon?!" The archeologist wasn't sure if that was some kind of very bad joke between the two Wonderbolts or not. It didn't seem that way, much to her growing despair. Nobody laughed.

"Before the fuel is completely empty Surprise will start a slow landing approach and in the right moment Plan J will come into action. The 'J' stands for 'jump', we will try to get the perfect timing so that we don't receive too much harm, if possible. Easy, right?" Firefly grinned darkly.

Daring gulped nervously.

"B-but the land is still far away! We will never be able to swim the entire way!" she tried to argue. It didn't work.

"I'm sure you heard the rumors or maybe even saw it for yourself. About humans who could use magic?" the General asked patiently, the younger woman affirmed the question.

"See? Why do you think I brought Surprise with me? For her good looks?" Firefly commented mischievously.

"Hey! I'll let you all know that Soarin complimented me once!... Well, nevermind. This guy compliments every woman who gives him a cake." Surprise analyzed, playing insulted with a wide smile.

She loved it that, even as the highest general of the Wonderbolts, Firefly never had a problem when it came to interacting with her soldiers in a more casual way.

Daring Do's eyes widened. "Surprise is a magician?!"

The girl in question grinned like mad and answered chipperly, "Yes! It was awesome! I discovered my magic when I had to fight off Gremlins at a lake on a scouting mission. They attacked my fellow Wonderbolts and suddenly… boom! Some mysterious female voice told me the name of my magic, uploaded some basic knowledge in my head and I repelled them with my new abilities. Now I'm a full-fledged witch. A Water Magic user to be precise. Like in Harry Trotter!"

"Huh... I never would have thought that I would meet one in person. I heard about the rumors, but didn't pay too much attention to them as long as I didn't have any proof. Do you can control whole water bodies to your every whim or how does your magic work?" Daring questioned in clear interest, a passionate fire in her eyes, seeking to discover the unknown.

Surprise laughed as if the archaeologist was crazy. "Of course not! I'm at the very beginning to understand my abilities and need my time of developing them. I can easily control water in a glass, but much more? Not really. When I set the plane on its last course I will jump first, you'll have to follow shortly after me and I'll try to use a small portion of the ocean to catch you and soften your impact. Afterwards I will manipulate the water surface and bring us to the shore. We have to wait until the gasoline is as good as empty, because I don't know how long my magic lasts and if I'm able to bring us to safety." Surprise sounded positive at least.

"OK... you are both insane, you know that?" Daring rubbed the bridge of her nose in annoyance and disbelief. "Just warn me in time, I’d like to mentally prepare myself," she requested dryly.

A few minutes later the time for preparations was at its end.

"General Firefly! The machine is set, it's time!" Surprise screamed in determination.

"Alright soldier! Plan J is now in action! Prepare yourself!" Firefly informed sharply.

"Already?!" Daring demanded to know.

She liked flying with a passion, but jumping out of a slowly falling plane into the unknown wasn't the most desired item on her To-do list. What about sharks? Or worse? Who knew what kind of animals existed now in the water thanks to the through magic newly created fauna and flora she witnessed on several occasions. It was suicide!

When the plane was 200 meter above the water surface, Surprise opened the door, engulfed her body in ocean blue magic like a second layer of skin and turned her head to look at her fellow passengers, who had to entrust their lives to the Master Sergeant, with a dead serious expression, "I know. Normally the pilot leaves last, but you know what? I don't give a damn!"

She jumped and abandoned the sinking plane.

Daring Do looked after their former pilot with a gaping mouth. Firefly chuckled and shook her head at the young woman's antics before focusing on the unsure adventurer. "We are next. Come," ordered the general sternly.

"When do we have to jump? Is there a specific time frame when Surprise is ready? Or height?" Daring enquired almost pleadingly.

"Indeed there is. Position yourself at the door, fast!" Daring followed the instruction in a heartbeat. "Now, count to three and jump. Surprise will catch you!" Firefly instructed completely calm and soothing.

"Here goes nothing. One... tw-" Firefly pushed her out of the plane, making the usually brave archeologist scream out like a little girl.

"Three!" Firefly exclaimed dramatically and jumped after her best friend's daughter with a giant smirk.

Daring Do felt how gravity took over and with his evil little brother, g-force, they worked together to speed up her fall. Slim tendrils of water shot out of the ocean and clutched her body in a way that felt extremely foreign for the woman. It felt like water after all, wet and fluent, but much... harder? Yes, much more resistant than normal water at the same time. Like an actual appendage out of organic material. They grabbed her legs, arms and torso as gentle as possible, until they could stop her shortly before the surface and let her body slide into the water.

The same happened with a laughing Firefly, who tossed at the same time their backpacks out of the plane. They were caught from other tendrils to keep them and their content as dry as possible.

Daring wasn't amused at all, "Are you crazy?! Why did you push me?!" She was a little bit furious, no lying.

"Calm down, kiddo. I would never endanger someone with my actions, if I can't help it. But it was totally worth it, you should have seen your face in the moment I 'helped' you." Firefly had to laugh again. The younger woman pouted with red cheeks.

In the distance the plane crashed into the ocean and exploded.

"Look at that, the impact must have created a spark or something that jumped over the cockpit into the gas tank. It was a good call from us to jump in time and not closely before the machine itself would have met its fate," the general commented proudly.

Daring ignored the Wonderbolt. "I wonder where Surpr-"

"You are alright! Great, it worked!" Surprise said in joy, swimming directly behind Daring.

"WAAHHH! Stop doing that!" The archaeologist was irritated that this girl seemed to have the habit to appear out of nowhere. She sighed heavily to calm down her pulse. "And... thank you for saving our lives."

"No problem! Now let's make haste. I called a taxi for everyone." As to answer the incoming questions, three giant dolphins with piebald skin appeared behind Surprise. They were turquoise green with dark blue splotches distributed over the body. The strangest thing was the appendage on the head, a helically formed and longly stretched pure white horn. "General, Daring, I want to introduce you to my new friends. I found them after I landed in the water," the soldier informed shortly.

"First of all. How could you even survive a 200 meter jump in the first place and secondly, how could you convince these... interesting looking dolphins to help us?" Daring asked completely confused.

Surprise snorted, "Oh that's easy. One of my abilities is more a passive one and is called 'Lord’, or more in my case, 'Lady of Water'. Thanks to this neat trick I can change some properties of the element itself. After I engulfed my body with magic I shot it into the ocean beneath me, creating a 'hole' in it so to speak. With that I mean I let the water surface completely disappear where I would have landed, avoiding on this way a hard and most likely deadly impact on the sea. Then I gave the water close around my body its original properties back step for step until I was safe and sound.”

“And what about Flipper and his friends?” Firefly asked incidentally, petting one the graceful animals.

“Well, suddenly I heard someone saying: 'That looked like fun! Since when can humans do something like that?'” Another of the dolphin like beings emerged right besides the woman and rubbed its nose against her back to get attention. It received the same treatment as its friend. “I was confused who would be able to talk to me under water and noticed these three cuties here, swimming around me like I just did the coolest stunt. They brought me near the surface and asked me if I needed to be somewhere, they would help me for the good show I delivered. At this point I was sure I could talk with them and asked the trio if they could bring us to the shore of Zebrica after I helped you landing. They agreed. I guess I can talk with animals of the sea thanks to my magic, because I'm pretty sure that I'm normally not able to talk with animals at all.”

"Good job, Master Sergeant! When we are back I will give you a promotion for saving this mission's success and our lives!" Firefly proclaimed proudly.

It brought her joy to see that many of the younger generation showed this much promise for the future ahead of them.

"T-thanks, General. I feel honored." Surprise didn't expect that.

Every dolphin-looking animal wore a human on its back and together they started their way to the shore, backpacks safely secured. "So..." Daring Do started. "We will need several hours, maybe until sunset before we reach Zebrica. How were you even planning to bring us to the shore without the help of your new friends?"

"I wanted to make it look cool, to make it possible for us to do something no human ever did before us. I would have used my magic to enforce the water surface beneath our feet to make it possible for us to walk on it.” Surprise blushed. “Buuuut then I realized that it would have been impossible to maintain this effect solely beneath our steps without. Letting the spell work in such an accurate manner would need an amount of magic and training much beyond my possibilities… I'm glad I met these three," the Wonderbolt explained sheepishly.

Daring rolled her eyes at this confession and she could have sworn that these dolphins made noises which sounded like laughter. Maybe literally if the youngest present woman's red cheeks and mild pouting face in the direction of the animals was anything to go by.

"On a more happy topic. You just discovered a completely new species. As their discoverer from our land you could give them a name," Firefly joked slyly.

She was trying to change the topic, because Daring was visibly irritated that Surprise didn't think of any other way to get them to Zebrica except ‘walking on water’.

"General, you are right! Hm... they look like dolphins and have a long horn on their... I know! I call these cuties 'dolphicorn'! What do you think?" Surprise asked the others with a smug smile.

Both facepalmed with force. The ‘dolphicorns’ snickered hysterically.

At last. After hours of walking, Canterlot City came into sight. Much to Zephyr's joy, his feet were simply killing him. He just could. Not. Take it!

His mother, as a professional gardener and botanist, admired many new flowers, trees and other things nature had to offer, he was glad that the sights took her mind off from her constant worries about Fluttershy.

They didn't even meet any dangerous animals or other perils, it seemed the main roads were safe routes, still.

He spoke up in a dramatic tone, "I hope our home is standing after all. There are things of great importance for me which I wish returned to my side."

"You shouldn't have your hopes too high up. I was once in Canterlot myself, most streets and buildings were burned down to the ground or molten in such a way that it is very unlikely that anything in the building itself would have survived the extreme heat. Then there is the problem that some streets are completely destroyed what makes it impossible to reach most places," Fire Streak commented dryly.

"I'm sure we'll be fine. Maybe we will even find someone in Canterlot who needs our help and we can't be sure as long as we didn't see the damage with our own eyes," Mr. Shy commented in a calming tone.

The Wonderbolt sighed patiently, "I know. But the prob-"

Noises and screams were heard from their left, but they couldn't see anything through the thicket.

"That doesn't sound so good," Zephyr Breeze whispered nervously.

"HELP!" a female voice shouted in sheer horror from the same direction.

"Hide! I'll check what's going on and come back to find you," Fire Streak ordered in an alarmed and quiet voice.

Zephyr Breeze didn't need to be told twice and led his parents from the street they were walking on moments ago. They hid themselves behind the trees, waiting for their protector’s return in tense anticipation.

Minutes passed, they felt like hours for the trio, when suddenly everything went silent after what sounded like a gunshot. Nothing could be heard anymore.

"D-do y-you think that he will be alright on h-his own?" Mrs. Shy asked her husband and son fearfully.

"I-I'm sure of that. The young man seemed capable enough for me. At least I hope so," Mr. Shy responded meekly.

Sometimes the youngest of the Shy household wondered how his parents were able to act even shyer than Fluttershy herself. But to her credit, if necessary, she always managed to pull through. He was proud to call her his big sister.

"Ah. More prey, I wondered what I would find here. My pets smelled your scents," a silky, deep female voice informed darkly.

They turned around and faced the potential enemy. Zephyr swore to himself to wait for Rainbow Dash until she was ready to confess her undying love for him, but this woman in front of the teenager was more than just ‘exotic’. Her beauty stole his breath.

The closest resemblance he could come up with was... an elf, she was clearly no human. Her whole appearance screamed beauty, grace and much to his dismay a fast death, despite her fragile looking figure and height of maybe 1.70 meter. Oh, the prolonged and pointy ears were a give-away, too. She had pearl dark grey skin, perfectly formed eyebrows, platinum gray eyes, creme colored, full hair with a ponytail and anthracite grey skin. The woman wore black earrings in the form of crescents, sleek and very good hugging, in his humble opinion, armor of metal, fabric and leather. Everything was colored in various tones of black, with golden adornments on the edges and over the entire armor. Her breastplate reached from her chest, with a very admirable cleavage, to the upper part of her stomach, leaving the rest of her well-trained center exposed. The metallic platelegs and vambraces were the last parts of heavy armor. Then there were nicely crafted leather boots, shoulder pads and thin gloves, on both was imprinted a grey symbol of two observing ravens. Her hip was covered by fabric made, noble looking pants, that reached to shortly above the knee and a deep black and golden bandana around the neck completed the outfit.

"W-who are? And w-what are you?" Mr. Shy asked, terrified from the intimidating aura the woman gave off.

The unknown beauty rolled her eyes at the question. "It's exhausting to explain to every human what I am, but what can I expect. It's not like you know about every new species. My name is Makara, I'm a Beast Tamer and Dark Elf.”

“M-Miss Makara. What circumstances do we owe the pleasure of meeting you here?” Mr. Shy enquired carefully.

The Dark Elf frowned. “You should consider yourself lucky that my pets have already eaten. So I just will take you with me for some personal entertainment to the moment I'm bored of you and you can no longer provide me with stories," Makara explained sharply.

"S-stories?" Mrs. Shy enquired, filled with fright.

"Of course my dear. I simply love to collect stories. Everybody has a different tale to tell, new information to share and undiscovered secrets, waiting to be exposed by me. And my instincts are telling me that you may have stories I didn't hear before," the Dark Elf answered gleefully.

Zephyr Breeze wasn't sure how to feel about her last statement. Did she already knew that he knew about his sister? How was that possible? Well, he was confident that his charm could convince the sexy woman to release them.

Of course he had to protect his parents, if she was unpleasant and had a fetish for pain they would break instantly. "I concur, Ms. Makara. Secrets, gossip, that's totally my thing, too. No juicy detail escapes the Breeze.” He chuckled flirtingly. “I make you an offer! We two can have a little chat about everything you desire, I will be completely open with you, don't worry. So, what do you say? A beauty like you must feel simply exhausted and has surely much better things to do than trying to force unwilling people to talk if someone like me will gladly speak with you."

It surely broke the ice between them. No woman could resist his winning smile, she even started to laugh!... Huh?

After Makara calmed down from her laughing fit she locked eyes with Zephyr Breeze and stated amusedly, "That was certainly a new one. I can't remember the last time a hormone-ridden teenager tried to seduce me and really thought he had a chance. Sorry, boy, but I'm not into children, only men." The parents winced, they could practically hear how their son's pride shattered into a million pieces. "I congratulate you for having the courage to even try something like that. Most human I met were paralyzed by fear, but not you. So let me show you in what kind of situation are you in, OK?"

She snapped her fingers and nine demonic looking dogs surrounded them, growling. He didn't need to turn around to know that the sounds behind him meant that his mother fainted from shock and fear whereas his father tried to wake her up. Zephyr had to admit, not only was he feeling like his man pride was brutally murdered, but that these things looked very dangerous as well. But he already decided, in the end of the day his pants would remain dry.

"Wow, these are nice, err, pets. Hehe..." he started awkwardly.

Zephyr wondered if Fire Streak was still alive, but he didn't want to ask either. Maybe she didn't know about him yet and the younger brother of Fluttershy didn't plan to inform her about the Wonderbolt's existence, should that be the case. It would just endanger his life.

"Do you really think it would help you to play brave? These cute little demons are known as 'Frost Hounds'. Very loyal to their master and perfect for finding potential prey, or enemies for that matter. They are just a part of my menagerie. But don't worry, you won't be completely alone. I always catch myself a few victims at a time to collect stories. And I already have more than enough humans from and around Canterlot to make up for it. The Punisher will be pleased. There are even girl's of your own age, boy, maybe they will fall for you. Before they are worthless for me and die that is. I won't fed someone who has no more knowledge to share, so I hope for you that my instincts are telling me the truth and that your stories are worth my time. I fear your parents, and I'm sure these two cowards are your parents, will lose their value otherwise. I'm sure you understand. But enough chatter for now, it's time to return to Jormun, eventually you know this place under its former name, 'Camp Everfree'?, Makara lectured with a smug smile in the end.

She met already enough humans who knew that name and were always deeply disturbed when they discovered that the newest outpost of the Adepts of Khom was the formerly child-friendly summer camp, converted and twisted beyond recognition. It became boring in time, but it was always worth mentioning in her opinion, because the reaction told her more than 1000 words.

And she was right, the awoken mother, the father and even the wannabe womanizer looked like Makara just told them that she murdered someone they knew... interesting. That could be exploited.

"Oh? Judging from your facial expressions I presume that you didn't expect that? Was someone you knew in Camp Everfree when we took over? Has this special someone a name?" the Dark Elf asked innocently and played confused.

She knew that only the former co-directors died and that their souls served as Soul Prisons, but why telling them the truth?

"Did you saw a girl of Zephyr's age?! Did you meet a girl named Fluttershy?! Did you hurt her?! Tell me!" Mrs. Shy shouted in a very unusual state of rage. It certainly surprised her family.

Makara was sure that this 'Fluttershy' had to be something like a daughter for this woman. She saw it many times, even the most harmless and weakest woman she caught could become a ferocious beast when her own children were in mortal peril.

Still, it was too good of an opportunity to not mess with them, "Fluttershy? I think I heard this name before. Hmm... yes, I'm sure. I think I killed her yesterday, because I didn't have anymore use for her. Why? Was she important to you?" She grinned darkly.

"How could you?! Y-you monster! M-my little girl. She's... she's... " Mrs. Shy fainted again. Fluttershy's father broke down crying and Zephyr Breeze looked at the Dark Elf in disdain, he saw her satisfied smile and knew she just wanted to see them suffer.

That was enough for now in Makara's opinion. "Calm down, I'm just joking. I don't know who that 'Fluttershy' is. Maybe she is one of my prisoners, maybe not," she confessed, bored.

"She has long pink hair and yellow skin. Did you see her?" the Teenager demanded to know in barely contained anger.

The woman acted like she had to think about it, what made Zephyr Breeze much more furious, until she replied gleefully, "No. But. I would love to meet her. I always had a weakness for family reunions. Do you want to have her head? I could bring it to you."

"Shut up!" Zephyr Breeze shouted furiously. He didn't care in the moment what she would do with him. Nobody talked like this about his big sister! "Fluttershy will make you pay, you hear me?! You can't win against her and her friends!"

"Oh? How come? Now I'm really interested in your secrets," Makara commented with a predatory smile.
He cursed himself for having a loose tongue. He surely didn't want to talk with this Beast Tamer about the abilities of his sister. "W-well, you see-"

"Don't be shy. I won't bite, only my pets have this habit. But I fear it will have to wait for now and I will talk with you on my own conditions." The Dark Elf spoke words in a language which gave the humans an ill feeling in the stomach alone from hearing them. A black door-shaped portal appeared in front of them. "You will come with me. Punisher Vyndrak should come back soon enough, maybe he already is. I will tell you a little secret, see it as a last present of freedom from me, before you are mine. I'm sure you know the town with the name 'Ponyville', right? We will invade this place soon and take every single human prisoner. I'm positive that your precious 'Fluttershy' will be there, too. I can't wait to 'chat' with her," the Beast Tamer taunted.

Before Zephyr Breeze could retort anew, his father put a hand on his shoulder and shook firmly his head. He followed Mr. Shy's silent plea and helped with his mother. Hopefully Fluttershy managed to stay out of trouble.

He was screwed, Fire Streak knew that. Rainbow Blaze would explode in his face in the moment he confessed that the family he swore to protect was captured by the enemy. He could only witness how they stepped through the portal and how it closed afterwards. Attacking them was out of the question, he just would have died and in progress endangered the trio, too.

Captain Spitfire had to be informed. Oh... and Colonel Wind Rider, too. The Wonderbolt didn't like the man, he had a streak of arrogance and seemed to be the type of man who would sabotage others when he thought they threatened his position or put his deeds to shame with their own.

When he was honest with himself he had to thank every deity who watched over him. When he checked out the source of the cry for help it was already too late. One of these demonic hounds ripped apart an older woman in the moment he jumped into the open. A fault that nearly costed him his life. Disturbed by the discovery he just reacted in time and put his weapon, a shotgun, in front of him. The hound jumped upon its next meal with widely opened mouth. Out of reflex did he pull the trigger. The Wonderbolt shot this thing directly into the presented opening, destroying with an unbelievable amount of luck its head from the inside. It was a gory mess.

Fire Streak ran back to find the Shys without a second thought, but what he discovered wasn't promising at all. The Senior Master Sergeant saw from the distance more dog demons and this ‘Dark Elf’ woman. He sneaked into a better position so that these things didn't hear him. He wondered shortly how it was possible that they didn't smell him until he noticed that his entire body was covered in demon blood. Perhaps it confused their senses and hid him from detection on this way? In the end it didn't matter, he heard enough and had to inform the others as soon as possible.

It was a good thing that Fire Streak trained his stamina so much.

Earlier was everything much easier, Spitfire was sure of that. She remembered her time at CHS when she was still captain of the school's soccer team until she stepped down from her position and gave it to Rainbow Dash to prepare for her graduation and her dream in life. Becoming a Wonderbolt. It was so much easier, indeed.

After her graduation many of her friends and herself signed up. Originally they all planned to become stunt flyer and solely taking part in military activities when necessary.

Then the whole world went to hell...

Spitfire remembered it well. Highest alarm code for all military units, no matter what rank you had, even the reserves were mobilized. Reports of problems and threats from nearly every corner of the entire country reached the government. No, the whole world. Ranks had to be filled instantly to create a perfectly functioning chain of command, after many years of peace they had a shortage of qualified high ranking officers.

General Firefly ordered the young woman into her office and informed her that she was chosen to become a captain of the Wonderbolts after her predecessor, Colonel Wind Rider, was promoted. A dream became reality, but Spitfire wished it would have happened in a time of peace. Nowadays, everything was uncertain. Magic was suddenly real, beings of fantasy roamed the land, most of their equipment died and there were no possibilities to communicate anymore. Except maybe with letters and scouts, how annoying.

Now she sat in her new office of the newly proclaimed Wonderbolt HQ, the former government building of Governor Blue Sky, and had to look through tons of paperwork. Complains of citizens, requests of refugees from Canterlot, reports of patrols. Her job never ended, she literally had to keep herself awake with coffee in order to get everything done. Soarin and Fleetfoot helped with it, but there was just too much.

Seriously. Why couldn't she have discovered magic like Surprise and going instead with General Firefly on her mission? Oh how she wished that something would happen that released her from the torment of officialdom.

The door was ripped open and Fire Streak stormed into her office. He looked like he ran a marathon and would fall over at a moment's notice. When he caught his breath enough to speak, the Senior Master Sergeant saluted and shouted in panic, "Captain Spitfire! Something terrible is about to happen!"

It was a joke! A bloody joke! What brought her to her subordinates… gory appearance.

“What the hell soldier?! Why are you covered in blood?!” Spitfire demanded to know, feeling a little ill to the stomach from the overwhelming smell of iron.

"I would like to hear your story as well, Senior Master Sergeant. Your panicked arrival caused a lot of commotion, so I decided to investigate what happened myself. It seems it was the right decision to make," a smoky male voice commented from behind in a calculating tone.

"Sir!" Spitfire and Fire Streak saluted Colonel Wind Rider when he stepped into the office, followed by a completely baffled Rainbow Blaze.

"Fire, You are back already? And where are the others?" Rainbow Blaze enquired worriedly.

Instead of his earlier clothes he wore now a similar uniform to the Wonderbolts, but the symbol upon the chest consisted out of two crossed teal lightning bolts and the uniform itself was colored in vermillion and fir green.

The Wonderbolt in question began to sweat again, this time not from running, and replied nervously, "S-sir! There is something I have to tell you and please! Before you do something you might regret, know that there was nothing I could have done to prevent it..."

"Are you seriously eating cake again? Where do you get always so much sweets, Clipper?" Fleetfoot asked her teammate in dry humor.

"I think I deserved it. I helped Spitfire with a lot of paperwork and decided to reward myself," Soarin answered in a chilled position. He was leaning with a chair against his desk.

"Well, next time share with me. I suffer too, you know?" she demanded in mock-agitation.

"Sure thing, Fleet! Maybe we should ask our captain if we could get a more interesting task to do. What do you think?" He grinned challengingly.

"I think you are a dreamer. Don't misunderstand me. I would love to do something more excited, but it's not like Spitfire suddenly needs us to go on some suicide mission," replied the young woman with a smile of her own.

"THEY ARE WHAT?!" screamed a furious voice. It sounded like it came out of Spitfire's office besides them.

Soarin fell out of the chair from shock and mumbled only loud enough for his friend to hear, "Me and my big mouth..."

A pregnant silence reigned over the room after Fire Streak finished his story.

An angry Rainbow Blaze voiced his opinion first, "Colonel! Captain! We have to help Ponyville and rescue the prisoners from this Dark Elf and her demons!"

"Indeed. We can't allow this 'Jormun' to continue existing, either. It's much too dangerous to ignore and to close to Cloudsdale. Sadly, there is not much we can do about it in the moment," Colonel Wind Rider lamented.

"What do you mean, sir?" Fire Streak felt annoyed. Why couldn't they just push these monsters back?

Spitfire took the word, "What the Colonel means is that the biggest part of our forces have to remain in Cloudsdale to protect and hold the city until further notice. We don't know what kind of threats are just waiting to strike us down in order to take the city or destroy it. The safety of the citizens has the highest priority. You know what happened with Canterlot and as matters stand, thanks to the reports of other refugees, Fillydelphia fell, too. Pirates are now in control of one of our country's most important havens, goblins, Nagas, humans and more took over and repurposed it into their own pirate paradise, specially made for scum like them. Every form of resistance was absolutely eliminated by the invaders.”

Wind Rider looked gravely at the angry Wonderbolt and Blaze, “I understand your concerns, gentlemen. Ponyville seems to be the next target. But it could be the case that our enemies are watching Cloudsdale right now, just waiting for an opportunity to act. No, we have to stay strong and can't allow ourselves to show any weakness or risking being vulnerable or exposed. So that is the answer to your questions. We can't send soldiers away into the unknown."

The captain of the Bolts took her seat again, thrumming with her fingers on wood, “On another note, we have no idea how Jormun is even constructed and what kind of forces they have. It could be a giant deathtrap for every approaching army for all we know. Heck, for all we know they have fire breathing demon dragons which could kill us all or forms of magic at their disposal that will let our weapons look like toys in comparison. A direct assault is in this case completely out of the question. I can understand that you wish to help, but we won't be able to spare much ressources at the moment. Too much is at stake here and too many variables are unknown to simply 'attack and destroy' our foes," Spitfire explained for her subordinate like a teacher.

Wind Rider nodded his head. "Captain Spitfire was right with everything she said, soldier. I can't ask the troops to risk their lives for nothing but a fast way to die painfully, or worse, ending up as prisoners themselves and leaving the city defenseless in process. Then there is the newly formed militia. I was talking with Mr. Blaze about General Firefly's plans before we were informed about your arrival. All points on this topic need to be coordinated. Every new recruit needs training, food, shelter, the usual. And no, I can't and won't allow the newly formed Thunder Guard to fight and die at that point. They had no training at all. We may have vaguely 800 volunteers, but in this moment they are just civilians and nothing more. These people will get slaughtered like pigs by the enemy in a real battle," added the major analytically.

Rainbow Dash's father groaned. "I just say it, I'm pissed off. Not only are my friends in danger, but everyone else, too. But you are right, we can't storm off and charge into certain death. At least send a small team to Ponyville to organize its own protection. I would come, too, but I have responsibilities towards the new recruits. Unlike the others, I already had my fair share of training. Body like weapons. Comes with being a fitness coach and the husband of Firefly," he clarified. There was no room for discussions.

Wind Rider sighed fatefully, "Alright. We can't afford to lose Ponyville, so I want an elite team under your command to aid the town, speak with the local major. But only if you are up for the task. I know it will be your first major conflict under your own command as the highest ranking officer in this campaign. I will grant you free control over every soldier you think is needed for your mission as long as you keep your team small. What do you say, Captain Spitfire?" he asked in anticipation.

The newly announced officer saluted shortly. "Sir! I will accept this mission and I have already the perfect candidates to recruit in mind. We will hold Ponyville and stop the demons from advancing any further. The city won't fall," promised the determined young Wonderbolt. She glared at Fire Streak, "And get your ass under a shower and burn your clothes! You are ruining the floor!"

The soldier in question saluted fastly and ran for his life, an angry Spitfire was a bad thing to have.

Everybody who was still attendant knew that the success of this mission was mandatory if they wished to catch a break any time soon. Or wanted to survive for that matter.

Zebrica, the land of trolls. They didn't know what to expect when they arrived, but this was unexpected. But first, the three women had to orientate themselves after the Luminas, Daring and Firefly convinced Surprise to choose another name than ‘Dolphicorn’ for the new species she found, brought them to the shore and returned home.

"What now?" Daring asked Firefly in expectation.

In response she took out a flare gun and shot the munition into the sky. "We wait."

The sunset illuminated their surroundings in a warm orange light. It was a welcoming sight for sore eyes.

"Wow. That's what I call giant scorpions," Surprise commented astonishedly. She pointed to their right into the distance to a nearby cliff.

Daring Do was happy that these beings never existed before magic came into action. Three scorpions ran wildly around where Suprise pointed, luckily they didn't notice their group.

They were completely black with a yellow underside, had vibrant blue eyes and were at least 1.5 meter tall with a giant stinger to boot. They disappeared into a nearby cave.

"I swear if we meet giant snakes..." Daring muttered to herself, twitching. The archeologist really didn't like snakes.

A shriek came from above.

Firefly looked up and commented with stars in her eyes, "I want one!"

"Huh?" Daring looked up, too and saw the reason for the general's excitement.

Three griffons flew to their position. With riders upon their backs how it seemed.

The griffons themselves looked very similar, only the plumage had various shades of the same colors if the young woman saw it right. Golden yellow majestic beaks, deadly claws in the same color at the front on otherwise more like from a lion looking forelegs, paws at the hind legs and emerald green hawk eyes were the first details she saw.

Then they landed in front of them.

"Whoa! Coolest animals ever!" Surprise stated like it was a fact.

Daring couldn't disagree. These proud specimen had a lion's ears and body for the most part. Nearly wholly covered by ochre brown fur, a long tail was attached to their backside, with black hair at the tip. It reminded much of a lion. Their bodies were in general very aerodynamically built, very muscled to grant power, but clearly made for speed and flight. And they were at least 2.5 meter tall. Speaking of flight, their wings were big, but very long and slim, too. With a wingspan of 8 meter from the left to the right and a pearl white coloration with single black feathers in between. The plumage itself at the front of their body on the chest, the neck and around the head were ochre brown, too.

"May the spirits be with you, humans. Mamba sent us to bring you safely to him to the home of our tribe, Jin'Zeni. My name is Yurakon and these two brave warriors at my side are known as Voj and Hebara," Yurakon introduced themselves in a thick zebrican accent and a humming tone. He was the tallest of the troll trio.

"Welcome in Jin'Thala. Or formerly known as Zebrica," greeted the female troll in a nearly accentless deep voice. She was the smallest, but only by two inches.

"What's up? I didn't expect you would be able to survive the journey in days like these. You are smaller than I thought, too. By the spirits, I don't know what kind of business our prophet has with you, but it can't be that important. You look like a sneeze would be enough to bring you down. Your bones wouldn't even be usable for a good mojo potion," Voj joked in a very young voice. The only problem, or maybe boon, was that nobody of the three humans understood what he said in the first place.

"What language was that?" Firefly enquired in confusion. She heard much in her life, but nothing like that before.

"Our new mother tongue, Tro'ju. He just gave you a traditional greeting between trolls, don't worry. Voj can't speak english, most didn't have a reason to learn how. He was just a simple farmer in his earlier life, before the spirits used their mojo and granted us a rebirth into what you see before your very eyes," Yurakon answered reassuringly.

It wasn't necessary to anger the women. It didn't stop him from giving the youngest of them a glare for being disrespectful though.

"My name is Daring Do, these are Firefly and Surprise. My mother, Ancient Seeker, sent us to speak with Mamba," the archaeologist introduced their own team.

When she looked closer, she didn't expect trolls to look so similar to humans, except maybe the form of the face and the long ears with prolonged ear lobes to the neck. She was convinced that they were much uglier in the face, so that was a plus. All three of them had black tusks in the face, Hebara had shorter ones as her male companions, but she had a very human-like nose of a woman whereas a long hammer nose was what the other two got. Two thickly built digits on the feet and three fingers on the hands seemed to be typical for trolls, too. Daring saw furthermore that Hebara and Voj had both green glowing eyes and a light red skin color.

The rest of their bodies were covered by combined armor of leather, furs and metal made chest plates and helmets. Both wore strangely looking silvern spears on their backs, covered in glowing light blue runes.

Yurakon had black brown eyes, dark vermillion colored skin and a black mohawk haircut. He wore a pearl orange and yellow toga and terra brown sandals.

"I have a question, Mr. Yurakon. Your warriors look nearly the same, but you wear something completely different, does that mean something?" Surprise asked with a wide smile.

Yurakon chuckled and responded with a smile of his own. "Indeed. These two are warriors of our tribe, the Nanakoui tribe to be exact. Trolls with this kind of armor are especially recognizable because of the glowing green eyes, they are known as Spirit Guardians. I have more freedom with what I’d like to wear, I'm a shaman."

"That's interesting and all and sorry that I have to be that person, but we really need to meet with Mamba. Could you guys bring us to him, please?" Firefly enquired urgingly.

"Of course. That was the reason we came to search for you in the first place. Mamba knew that you were the persons who sought him in the moment he saw the flare. Climb up upon the griffons' backs, and we'll escort you to him," Hebara answered this time.

The flight to Jin'Zeni was short, but beautiful for the three women. The steppes and plains of Jin'Thala were filled with all kinds of roaming animals, some new, some old. Many with palms filled oases and rivers were distributed over the landscape and the night greeted them in the moment they arrived in the city. It was certainly rebuilt after the new cultural ideas and wishes of the trolls. Not only the name of Cato changed. A few temples were constructed, adding to the clear picture and brutal truth which wasn't really understood from the trio, only reported by rumors and reports. Now they saw it for themselves.

The world changed. A new age had arrived.

A big wooden bungalow and many smaller ones were built around their destination. The National Museum for Ancient History of Zebrica.

The griffons landed directly in front of the biggest one. Spirit Guardians stood in front of the building, an intimidating, but somehow welcoming committee.

"Remember, Mamba is now our tribe leader. The prophet of the Nanakoui, show him the respect he deserves," Yurakon warned lecturingly. "In the meantime we will bring the griffons to their stables. You should be fine from here on, Jin'Zeni is a safe haven for friends and allies alike."

"We will. Thank you very much for bringing us this far," Firefly replied gratefully.

He nodded his head and disappeared with Hebara and Voj who bowed curtly before they followed the shaman.

"OK, let me talk with the guards. I can already tell that they are the type who demand proof that we have the right to visit their prophet," the general of the Wonderbolts informed.

"Suit yourself," replied Daring, unfazed.

"Yes, Madame!" Surprise saluted in vigor.

When they stood right in front of the entrance one of the trolls stopped them with her spear. With an old sounding female voice the Spirit Guardian demanded to know, "What business do you have with Prophet Mamba, humans? Speak!"

"Called it!" Firefly thought smugly before she replied respectfully, "A very good friend of mine told us to seek out Prophet Mamba for his guidance so that we may discover the truth behind what happened in the Celestial Sea. Maybe you heard about it. She mentioned that your tribe leaders owns her a favor, because she saved his daughter 15 years ago."

"Why didn't you say so from the beginning? Every troll in this city knows the prophet's daughter and who saved her life in the Ruins of Saphtam. Soul Sister Ancient Seeker is a honorable member of our tribe, allies of her are allies of the Nanakoui. Enter, friends," clarified the guardian.

There were a few words they didn't understand, but it sounded friendly and polite, so it wasn't important.

"Seriously, what did mom do? 'Honorable member'? Did she ever tell you about what happened 15 years ago, Mrs. Firefly?" enquired the curious adventurer and author.

"Call me Firefly, kiddo. You earned it. And to answer your question, I just know a few details and didn't really listen to be honest, because it sounded to me like a normal tuesday for Ancy at that time," Firefly responded, shrugging with her shoulders.

The trio walked through the entrance, admiring the art and interesting looking decorations on their way, until they reached a big door with two totems at each side. They all were decorated with very calm faces of trolls, it was strange.

"What are these for?" Surprise asked out loud in interest.

"I have no-" Daring Do couldn't finish her sentence.

All four totems started to glow in different colors. The eyes of every totem began to glow in the color of its representative element and out of their wooden, slightly open mouths came fog in the same coloration. In sky blue, dark blue, a blazing red and a muddy brown.

Then the red one which looked like on fire started to talk in an ethereal voice, "I'am the Ember Totem. You were expected, mortals of flesh. May your path be illuminated."

The sky blue glowing totem spoke next, "I'am the Aero Totem. May the illusions of your enemies be blown away."

The muddy brown colored totem, "I'am the Terra Totem. May you stand firm in the time of uncertainty."

Lastly, the dark blue one, "I'am the Aqua Totem. May your senses be purified. Step into the room behind us, the prophet awaits you."

Whatever power infused the totems disappeared. They stood still again, like the dead objects they were beforehand.

"Well. That wasn't creepy and mysterious at all," Firefly commented dryly. The others laughed.

In the center of the homey room itself sat cross-legged between two big burning green torches on a complicated looking light blue magical circle, if they had anything to guess, a troll with closed eyes. His entire bare upper body was covered by vibrant white symbols. most likely Tro'ju, and illuminated in a light blue outline similar to the circle beneath him. This had to be Prophet Mamba and he didn't seem to notice them.

The interior of the round chamber consisted moreover out of voodoo masks of various expressions on the wooden walls, arranged around the entire room and facing the troll. Two stony bookshelves stood behind Mamba were furnished with a lot of scrolls and vials filled with potions of various colors.

"I reaaaally hope that's just art," Surprise commented nervously and in slight fear.

Daring looked up and saw what she meant. Distributed under the entire ceiling hung as decorations many different forms of wind bells and beneath them with red runes and words, or so she guessed, painted white bones.

She hoped it was just clay.

He opened his sapphire blue eyes, they shimmered in the afterglow from his former act. His body stopped glowing and the white runes upon him faded to a weaker shade of white, nearly dull in comparison to earlier. "The spirits and Ancient Seeker informed me about your arrival. I know why you came this far, you need my help for your further journey. Aid for an important task, a quest of hope. I'am Prophet Mamba." He locked eyes with Firefly, then Surprise and finally Daring. "And you must be General Firefly, highest officer of the Wonderbolts and best friend of Ancient Seeker. You are the young Surprise, a promising magician of the cleaning element of water and you are surely the infamous Daring Do. Your mother told me a lot about her daughter. May the spirits be with you, my friends," stated Mamba in a fatherly, deep, but still soft voice with no accent in perfect english. It surprised everyone.

Wisdom beyond his years could be heard.

He stood up and for the first time Daring noticed that her mother's friend was truly tall. At least 7'8”, well muscled, but no walking tank and without the magic that surrounded him she could see how he looked like otherwise. Very long and slightly inwards curved strong black tusks and three silver earrings per side on the pointed tips, formed like snakes, were noticeable. Sienna brown skin and white full long hair were other traits the archeologist saw. Mamba wore mahogany brown long pants made of leather, she had absolutely no idea what kind, but it made an expensive impression, and black silky boots.

Daring bowed respectfully. "Prophet Mamba. I wasn't sure what to expect when my mother wrote me in her letter that I should seek out a 'curator'. Now it makes sense."

The troll chuckled amusedly. "Ah, yes. Your mother always had a need for being cryptic, I guess her life as a historian and its guardian rubbed off on her. I finished consulting the spirits and they granted me clarity in many ways. I saw pictures of great events in the future, but it won't do you any good to tell you about it. Like it always is with the future, it's not set in stone. Every decision in life influences the outcome. But what I can share with you is the next step you have to take," Mamba informed thoughtfully.

"We would appreciate your help very much, prophet," Firefly said politely.

He nodded shortly, "It's just logical to do so. Something pushed our world over the edge into a new era, we have to find out what or maybe even who is responsible, because such a powerful entity doesn't do something like that out of boredom. There will be a reason and we have to find it out. I asked the spirits for a name or anything else in that regard, but they are not omniscient, they are spirits of fire, earth, air and water, connected to their very element. They can tell if something related to their own domain happens and a threat is endangering the natural balance, but whatever is responsible for awakening the slumbering forces of magic, we trolls call it mojo by the way to your information, hid its identity well. The spirits are disturbed and restless, the Celestia Sea opened itself, gates which should never have been opened, so they said. A forgotten domain of ancient times has to be your next goal. There you may find the answers you seek. It is located under the sea," Mamba explained in a heavy tone.

"Mr. Mamba, sir, have these 'spirits' anything to do with the fact that the totems outside in front of the door decided to talk with us?" Surprise queried in great interest.

"Oho? The spirits speak rarely, if not at all, with beings who are no shamans or prophets. When that is the case, then we are in greater peril as I feared and have lesser reason to feel at ease than I hoped. Still, it explains much and why I have to help you with more than simply giving you informations," realized the prophet.

"That's fine and all, but we are missing here something very important. How in the name of everything holy could we even find this forsaken place? It's literally impossible to reach the ocean floor in the middle of the sea much less places beneath it," Daring commented, feeling an approaching headache.

He smiled patiently and replied in a lecturing tone, "You are right. The path beneath the sea is usually closed off for persons like us, but there is a way to accomplish that. The spirits work in mysterious ways. They showed me an old grot, it was once sealed and awoke now from its slumber. The wardens of this holy place are the beings you seek. Nature spirits, the Nymphs of Horseshoe Bay, ask for their support. With their help you might be able to find the forgotten capitol and kingdom of the sea, Marelantica."

Firefly groaned. "Why has it to be so complicated... well, beggars can't be choosers. If someone told me a few months ago that Marelantica was a thing I would have laughed, said that it was just a myth. Even after everything I saw myself, something like that was beyond my believes. Huh, in these days everything is possible, I guess."

Their world was already upside down and now that? Marelantica? Nature spirits? What's next? One surprise hunted the next in their opinion, no pun intended.

"Anything else we should know about? In the very unlikely case we reach Marelantica, what would we have to do next?" Firefly enquired tiredly, rubbing her nose between her fingers.

"I didn't receive any more informations regarding your task. I'm confident you will find your way and will know what to do next when the time is right," Mamba answered comfortingly.

"It must be so cool! As a prophet you can always know beforehand what will happen and act accordingly," Surprise said joyfully and gave him a thumbs up.

He laughed bitterly. "You have no idea, child. It is not as great as you make it out to be. Seeing the, and I emphasize it, potential future is a blessing and a curse at the same time. Most nights I try to understand what I saw, hoping that some visions never come true, but others do. And I can't really 'prepare' myself as you might think. As I said, I see a potential future, visions which drive me to drink sometimes. Just so that I can sleep one night without feeling like I'm shortly before having a seizure from the amount of informations in my mind. Trust me, Surprise, a prophet's life is nothing you would wish to have," Mamba informed with a thousand-yard-stare.

"You said you had to do something else than talking with us. What did you mean?" Daring wanted to know.

He looked between the general and the archeologist. "Some humans have stronger magic in their body than others and can become mages, warriors, sorcerers or even warlocks, depending on your talent. I can use my connection to the spirits to unlock your inner power. The spirits feel that you both have strong forms of magic inside of you, waiting to be used.”

A grim frown dominated his features, “There is something else you have to do first before you can try to find the Nymphs. A great darkness took root in the Forest of the Everfree. It aims to consume the nearest town ,Ponyville, and all its inhabitants. From the oldest to the unborn child, it doesn't matter for it, everything shall be consumed and it only leaves misery and death in its wake. You have to help the settlement, a victory is mandatory or your mission is doomed to fail before it even begins. So I will use my mojo to awake the magic inside of you," responded the prophet in a suddenly very serious manner.

"Dash..." Firefly whispered in shock. She looked at the prophet, forgotten were her former mannerisms and pierced him with livid eyes. "Couldn't you have said something earlier?! I'm very sure my daughter and her friends are in Ponyville in this very moment! They are in mortal danger and not only them, but Ponyville in general?! We have to return as soon as possible and help them!" exclaimed the general of the Wonderbolts.

Mamba was unfazed, "The righteous fury of a concerned parent is truly a mighty weapon. Focus your anger not on me, but the very beings who want to take your family away from you, General. And I didn't say anything earlier, because I needed you all to focus, I saw that the attack will commence in three days. The spirits confirmed it. I already planned everything, you will reach Ponyville in time, I promise. So don't worry, Mrs. Firefly." She didn't like it, still, but accepted it. Her instincts told her that Mamba was a man of his word. "You won't stand a chance as you are now, you need your magic to be awake and train with it in a fitting environment. Our training ground for the shamans serves exactly that purpose. The trolls of the Nanakoui will help you to be prepared. Are you ready?" He was curious, would they be strong and patient enough?

Daring Do and Firefly looked at each other in determination, an unspoken understanding between the two, they nodded.

"Yes!" answered both at the same time.

"So be it," Mamba stated and ignited his hands with great power until they were completely surrounded by white colored magic.

He put his hands upon their heads, the duo's eyes were filled by the same power Mamba used and after a few moments it was already over. The troll prophet breathed laboriously from exhaustion and saw it in their eyes, magic.

"You should go to sleep now, ask Yurakon where your sleeping quarters are. Your training shall begin tomorrow morning at dawn." The prophet and chieftain of the Nanakoui left the room to make the necessary arrangements for them.

"Night!" Shouted Surprise after the troll. She positioned herself directly in front of the other two women. "Aaaaand? What did you get?" The Wonderbolt looked like a child on christmas.

Firefly processed everything first and replied smugly. "No 'madame', soldier? Ha! Relax, it's fine. I got Magma Magic! It seems I can attack now with abilities of molten lava and a sunburn won't be a concern for me anytime soon. But don't expect a demonstration in here, I don't want to burn down Mamba's home."

Surprise saluted, "Thank you, Madame! We should change your nickname from 'Thunder Demon' to 'Fire Demon' now.” She giggled. “Daring?"

The archaeologist in question spaced out since her magic awoke, she thought about the possibilities and felt already giddily. Then she felt how Firefly touched her shoulder and responded happily, "My magic is named Archive Magic. It allows me for now to look into the history of things I touch and to find out everything I want to know about it. Well, if it's possible that is. I don't know how I know that, but it seems that not everything is 'willing' to share its secrets with me, so it could be the case that it's impossible to see something I wish to know and remain empty-handed. It only seems to work on inanimate objects.”

The door opened and Yurakon entered the room, "I see you finished your business with the prophet. The chieftain's wisdom is beyond most, I hope he could help you with your task and ease your worries. I will bring you to your rooms for the night, please follow me," requested the shaman in a friendly voice.

The trio of magicians swiftly followed him and soon stood before a smaller bungalow with furniture that could be considered too small for the bigger trolls. So that had to be their place.

"I can't wait to see what kind of training Prophet Mamba planned for us. What do you think, General?" Surprise enquired excitedly.

"We will have to see. I don't know what kind of help they want to give us, but I do know that I'm tired and want to sleep," Firefly replied neutrally.

Yurakon laughed loudly, "That's the spirit, friends! Remember, you will always have an ally in our tribe. I'm positive that you're welcome to visit whenever you desire. May the spirits guide you." The shaman left.

All three hit the hay and were out like a light.

The next two and a half days were filled with training, training and more training. They learned all as much as possible in such a short amount of time, but weren't satisfied with the progress they made. Mamba calmed the humans down and said that it was fine, they shouldn't worry too much.

"It's time for you to return home, friends. I must say I never expected to see a human who could create a hotter fire than me," Yurakon jested.

He was mainly the trainer for Firefly during their training and lost a lot of targets because of her Magma Magic. They were literally pulverized.

"Sorry! I know how much it must cost to create or buy targets to train," Firefly apologized embarrassedly with red cheeks. Everyone got an amused reaction out of her plight.

The three griffons stood saddled and ready to go in front of everyone. They were groomed and fed by the trolls so that their team had no problems on their way back.

"We prepared everything for you. The saddles for the griffons are made in a similar fashion to a normal horse saddle and enchanted so that you are protected from the cold and rain up there. And don't worry about sending them back, they are highly intelligent and will return to us or not, depending on their mood. We may use them as mounts, but they are not our slaves. These proud animals can do whatever they desire," Hebara informed.

Voj just grunted expressionlessly. He had to admit, they were OK... for small humans.

Mamba took that as his cue to say his own goodbye, "There are two things you should know before you leave. Well, the second topic is more a personal request of mine and I would be grateful if you could do something for me," he asked sadly.

It confused the human trio, his fellow trolls knew what their prophet had on his mind and smiled comfortingly.

"Of course, you can count on us. It's the least we can do after everything your tribe has done for us," Daring agreed for all like it was obvious.

The prophet nodded in gratitude, "Thank you. The first topic concerns something the spirits told me to the same time I received the visions about this dark presence. I just remembered now this morning, because I didn't want to distract you from your training. The message is that you won't be able to achieve anything alone, no matter how hard you try, it seems that Marelantica is under the control of a powerful trio, three beings, three sisters. The Royal Triumvirate. They have an army of their own and many allies, like slaves who are in thrall to them. Seek the help of the Phoenix, her allies will follow suit when you manage to convince her.”

The female trio glanced questioningly at each other. What was he talking about?

“My personal request has to do with my own daughter. Her name is Zecora. She left Jin'Thala years ago to see the world and decided to settle down in Ponyville to help with her knowledge where she could. My little girl was always a master of making tonics or other potions with the help of plants. I am certain, with her new abilities she is even better. Zecora is a troll shaman, living under humans and I know about the problems your country is facing, the spirits told me about Canterlot. Please, be there for my daughter. I know that Zecora can help herself, but there are many humans who would try to kill her immediately out of hatred and fear and she is but one. They make everything magical responsible for what happened to them and won't tolerate anything or anyone who is not a human.”

Firefly didn’t like what she was told, “I already feared that this could happen. But don’t worry, the Wonderbolts will ensure the safety of everybody, not just humans alone.”

Mamba was pleased to hear that. “That goes for your own magic, too. I saw how humans killed humans, because they saw it as something evil. So you will have your fair share of work cut out for you. It could be that the population of Ponyville itself tries to hunt you down in the moment they know about your true nature," Mamba expounded with a slight edge in the end.

He knew why humans reacted like they did, but hurting innocents was unjustifiable, always.

The Thunder Demon sighed heavily. "I should have known. I have to think about it how we may approach the situation. We can't wish us back to another time. This world, this reality, everything here is now a part of our life. If some selected few, no matter the reason, think they can live out their darkest fantasies, act like savages, hurt others and spread racism, hatred and pain just because they can't accept it... then they have to be dealt with," the general voiced emotionlessly.

"What is your plan? There are more than enough on this world, humans or not, who will never accept whatever you might have to say. They were, are and always will be violent and merciless. Will you hunt them down? Slaughter them like prey? Be careful. Tyranny is no solution, it will only backfire," Mamba warned sternly.

"No, no! That wasn't what I meant. There has to be a solution which doesn't include the death of hundreds or thousands, I concur..." Firefly felt the burden Fancy Pants was talking about. What could they do about the people who will never accept magic in their life and in extension someone who could use it?

"Calm down, Firefly. We have a lot of time to think about it on our way back. Let's go," Daring mentioned urgingly. The Wonderbolts consented.

They mounted the griffons, exchanged last words and returned to the USA.

It was silent for a few minutes until Surprise asked a question which bugged her since Mamba mentioned it, "Who is this 'Phoenix' we have to talk with anyway? We don’t even know for what we are looking for."

Her partners in crime had nothing.

Author's Note

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Yurakon is best troll!

Oh and if someone is curious about all the different colors I used. On 'RAL' and especially 'wikipedia' are lists with a lot of existing colors.

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 22 - Allies

The way to Ponyville was lame and eventless. The self-proclaimed lead singer of the Rainbooms needed action! There was only the occasional strange looking tree, but nothing else worth mentioning in her book. Not even one predator! Not that she wanted to hurt an animal of course, Fluttershy would have her head, but why couldn't something interesting happen for a change?

Her former principals, Ms. Cheerilee and Pinkie’s dad filled their time catching up with each other about, well, whatever they talked about. The athlete didn't care and took up her position a good distance behind them, with company at least.

Alongside her walked Shining Armor, he was the only person remotely in her age span. Even thinking about trying to talk with the much older adults caused her brain to freeze from the potential awkwardness. So she stuck with the egghead's brother, simple. And perhaps she could have a good talk with him, right?

Nope! It was boring as hell. In the moment she asked him about his hobbies outside of his former job as a police officer he went on and on about his, now most likely destroyed, comic book collection, with vigor and pride. He even teared up when it became clear to him what fate most likely befell his comics! The brother was a nerd and the sister was an egghead. These two were destined to be siblings, Rainbow Dash was sure of it.

Since at least an hour he told her entire odysseys about his preferences of comic book heros. It was torture. Her friends could never know that she knew that word from reading Daring Do, it would let her look like a total egghead,

"...And that's the reason why Superstallion is much too overpowered and Batstallion is the much better hero," Shining Armor finished his argumentation like a true professional nerd.

She didn't listen at all. What would Applejack do in her place? Probably failing horribly at lying, "Yeah, totally. I agree with you, Bat... stallion sounds like a much more chilled guy anyway. I root for him." The magician hoped it was convincing and indeed, the paladin looked pleased with himself.

Good, she dodged a bullet there. The Heavens Magic user feared he would have tried to convince and started to debate with her why he was right. Very devoted fans of something were like that. Rainbow Dash witnessed it every time her father watched soccer with absolute passion and looked always like he planned first-degree murder on the TV whenever the referee decided wrong in his opinion.

Of course she would never do something like that. Especially when the Daring Do books were the topic. Whoever told such rumors was just jealous on her abilities, or a liar.

To the chromatic girl's luck her former vice-principal saved her from further stories, "Rainbow Dash! Shining Armor! We are close to Ponyville's borders. Quick, we need to talk!" Luna commanded urgently.

They obeyed and came closer, running, "What is it?" Shining Armor was alarmed.

"Take a look for yourself," the lunar knight responded curtly.

The duo followed the other adults' eyes with their own. "You've got to be kidding me," Rainbow Dash muttered, amazed and annoyed at the same time.

They were close to Ponyville. Very close. The mistress of awesomeness couldn't believe her eyes. From what the Shadowbolts, Zecora and Luviel told them, the town's population was more or less under complete mind control the last time they were here and it was pretty much no challenge at all to get out or into the town unnoticed.

It seemed that wasn't the case any longer. The big question was now: "What should they do next?"

Ponyville was surrounded by a stable looking wall of wood and metal. Crudely made, but certainly sturdier built than expected after only three days since these disgusting, if Rainbow remembered the name correctly, Soul Prisons of the co-directors of Camp Everfree were destroyed and it wasn't extremely tall, maybe three to four meter. The highway on which they walked served as an entrance to the city. Upon the street stood a big metal gate with armed guards, looking like some kind of militia with blue-red uniforms and semi-automatic weapons at the ready, in front of it, ten to be precise on the left and right.

Shining Armor was torn.

On one side he was worried about the future of the town, because it had no first line of defense to prevent enemies from simply marching in and now there were guards, walls and fences. He was impressed from the progress the inhabitants of Ponyville made after such a short time.

But on the other, it could become very difficult now to enter if the guards at the gate were hostile or didn't let them in, because they were probably untrustworthy strangers in their eyes.

"It seems like it could be harder than we imagined to reach the mayor," Cheerilee commented surprised and slightly nervous.

"I concur with thy sentiment Ms. Cheerilee. But the wardens have seen us, there is no turning back now," Igneous Rock added stoically.

The guards were clearly on edge, fingers at the triggers, twitching. It showed them that these 'guards' were inexperienced.

Except there was one soldier, looking like the leader of the little troup and a mountain of a man, who seemed to recognize Celestia, Cheerilee and Luna, he was looking between the trio like he saw ghosts. A big smile soon replaced his perplexed expression and he went ahead to meet them after he reassured his fellow guards that everything was alright. They impatiently stayed behind, but a little bit glad. Who knew what these newcomers had planned.

Celestia barely recognized the giant from his time as Canterlot High's psychologist. He retired from his position to 'extend his horizon', as he put it, when his methods turned Fluttershy, who wanted to learn to be more assertive, for a short time into a bully and moved back to Greece.

It happened during the time shortly after the Fall Formal. Her fellow friends tried to convince the girl that she overdid it and wanted to calm her down. Only to be injured by sharp words. After it was to clear to her what she did, Fluttershy went immediately after them to apologize, in tears. Sincerely sorry for how she behaved and the hurtful things she said. Of course she was forgiven instantly, it was truly a challenge to stay mad on Fluttershy for a long time. The timid girl had this effect.

Iron Will looked... interesting to say at least. He had his unmistakable black eyes with yellow sclera, what scared more than one student to his time, his usual grayish cobalt blue skin color, dark cobalt blue hair in form of a short militaristic cut and a goatee. That was the last remembrance to the man she once knew in appearance. Iron Will was very muscled, rivaling with ease one of her former students, Bulk Biceps, but it oddly fitted the man very well and it didn't look out of proportions because of his height. And was he always this tall? The former psychologist was even taller than her, about nearly two heads. The uniform did his stature justice. It surely was a challenge for the designer in charge.

Besides the red-blue uniform, Celestia could now make out the symbol upon his chest after he shortened the distance. A white shield with a golden colored pony in the process of galloping.

Luna, who was normally more under control of her emotions in front of strangers, looked in equal parts relieved and shocked at the approaching man, "Tia. Isn't that Iron WIll?"

Igneous Rock and Shining Armor had no idea who she was talking about. Cheerilee suddenly noticed the similarities, her jaw dropped. And Rainbow Dash remembered that Rarity, Pinkie and Fluttershy, as the only three of their group who actually met Fluttershy's former ‘self-confidence trainer’, told them a few things about a man called Iron Will. But never how he looked like exactly.

She had just one thing to say, "Oh my gosh! Fluttershy's former psychologist is a walking tank!"

"No matter how blunt her choice of words was, Ms. Dash is right. I can't seem to remember that Mr. Iron Will was always this... bulky and tall," Cheerilee supported in confusion, a small blush adorned her cheeks.

"Indeed. It makes me curious, too. Still, he is part of the people guarding the gate, let me talk to him," Celestia argued. Nobody disagreed.

"Iron Will was right! Principal Celestia, Vice-Principal Luna, Ms. Cheerilee, Iron Will is happy that you are unharmed! Canterlot was a disaster and a massacre, it's great to know that you are alive!" his voice boomed in a loud volume.

Up close he was even more intimidating. Shining Armor eyed him suspiciously, but as earlier agreed, he let the former principal of CHS take care of everything.

"Mr. Iron Will. Im glad to see that you are doing well despite the horrible events of the past. I-" She was cut off by a bone crushing hug, powered by tough love and arms of steel.

That was something new as well. Since when was the former psychologist this touchy? Celestia had the feeling that something was seriously wrong here.

"None of that! You don't need to talk to Iron Will like your former employee. Times have changed, Principal Celestia. We are all in the same boat, surrounded by uncertainties and challenges and Iron Will couldn't think of better company, even if Iron Will tried. And please, just Iron Will is fine," he said assertively.

When he tried to do the same with Cheerilee and Luna, both women declined politely.

She caught her breath from this unique experience, "Then call me Celestia." The Solar Magic user glanced shortly at the other soldiers in front of the gate, "What happened to Ponyville? Last time friends of ours visited the town there were no walls."

The tall man's smile vanished in an instant and he sighed fatefully, "In the moment the refugees of Canterlot came to Ponyville, the local mayor, Mayor Mare-" Rainbow Dash snickered. "-came to the conclusion that the city had to be fortified as fast as possible to prevent Ponyville from sharing a similar fate, met the guild of craftsmen from the northern part of the town and together they decided to build this wall. After everything what happened, the new local wildlife, bandits, invading enemies and the proof for the existence of-" He made sure none of his colleagues heard him even remotely. "-magic-," he whispered conspiratorially. "-most inhabitants helped lifting and building. Under guidance of course. When hundreds of people work together with a common goal in mind, like protecting their homes and families, it gets the job done quite fast."

Luna snorted, "You don't seem to have a problem with magic."

He chuckled knowingly, "Iron Will is sure you all know already about its existence, especially after everything what happened at Canterlot High. And yes, Iron Will was there during the Fall Formal before Iron Will retired. Witnessing the whole mess. And Iron Will heard a lot of rumors about the Battle of the Bands and the Friendship Games."

"A friend told us that Ponyville suffered a lot of loses when the police encountered a manticore den," Celestia added sympathetically.

Iron Will nodded grimly, "And then there is the problem that all means of communication died a few days ago. Many were desperate, because the government was nowhere to be seen to establish law and order, except the local police... well, you may say they suffered a huge image loss. It seems you know about the Everfree Massacre, that makes it easier for Iron Will to explain our situation. To put it bluntly, the officers weren't taken seriously anymore after the incident in the Everfree Forest in which 30 humans died and only seven escaped alive. Five of them were too heavily injured and succumbed later to their wounds, so only two actually made it, traumatized. Afterwards, the citizens lost all trust in them and their abilities, but Ponyville had no more forces to defend itself than the police. In forced response the mayor ordered the immediate founding of a militia to protect her people. Iron Will took the mantle of the militia's captain as he absolved the short test for judging the recruits' capabilities with best results," the newly declared leader of the Ponyville Militia explained proudly.

"Wow. I didn't know Mary planned all this, she never told me anything," Cheerilee commented, disappointed that one of her oldest and best friends didn't think of it as necessary to inform her about such plans.

He stared the former teacher in the eyes, "As far as Iron Will knows she was desperate after she heard that you disappeared from Ponyville and feared the worst. Mayor Mare was close to leaving the city to search for you herself, but her sense of duty prevented it and because she is the only person in the moment, with the necessary reputation as a buffer, who is able to keep the people willing to resort to violence at bay with calming speeches."

Mr. Pie agreed, "A wise decision. Sometimes our duty is more important than personal matters."

The bulky man continued, "As the new captain of the Ponyville Militia Iron Will is always in contact with her and when Iron Will asked her if something was wrong after he caught her crying with a report in hand after the newest incident she told Iron Will about your friendship and that you were missing. Mayor Mare told Iron Will that she wanted to talk to you about everything, but never got the chance, because she was not herself. Iron Will knows that sounds strange, but there was an attack caused by-"

Luna finished the sentence. "Magic? We know all about it. That is the most important reason we are here now. Ponyville was under the dark influence of warlocks who used some form of mind control magic," she informed darkly.

Iron Will gritted his teeth in understanding, frowning, "Yes. Iron Will thought so, Iron Will was spared thanks to a friend's help. On that topic, Iron Will has his own concerns to address. Do you know a woman with the name 'Zecora'? How do you know who the ones responsible are? And where are you even living when not in Ponyville and after Canterlot?"

The lunar knight explained in a few sentences what the Adepts of Khom were, how they were responsible and how Ponyville was saved, for now. That they knew about Zecora, the help she provided for their group and with whom they lived at Sweet Apple Acres.

He was surprised and interested after hearing about the Emerald Elf in their group, who played a big part in saving two innocent young souls from what he understood. Iron Will never met one before. And he was horrified by what happened with Gloriosa and Timber.

She even informed him about the discovery of her own Lunar Magic, but she didn't tell him about the magical abilities of the others. In her opinion it was everybody's' own choice who they told about their new abilities.

Shining Armor and Rainbow Dash wanted to object when she started to answer his questions, because they weren't sure if he was completely trustworthy. Celestia would have none of it and promised them that they knew Iron Will since years and that he could be trusted without a doubt.

"Besides-" Luna continued for her sister. "-Iron Will is very forthcoming with information so we should give him the same courtesy. In fact, I'm very sure now that something isn't right with our dear friend here. Call it a feeling. Am I wrong?" she asked sweetly.

He laughed wholeheartedly, "Alright, you got Iron Will. Now that Iron Will knows that you are still friendly and not as hostile as so many other humans, Iron Will will show you his secret, but not here." He got much more serious, "It is very worrying what you said about these 'Adepts'. Iron Will fears that this attack was the famous last straw. You see, most people live in fear these days and are distrusting towards strangers of all kinds. But especially the many refugees are not only scared or depressed by their loss, no, they are hateful."

Cheerilee was saddened and a little ashamed, "I was hoping that my impression was wrong about Ponyville. What happened?"

Iron Will crossed his massive arms in front of his chest, "Fractions were created. Some with the only goal to create a 'haven for humans', no magic allowed. Especially none humans are on their blacklist after it became public knowledge that many former humans were transformed into entire new races. Zecora was very lucky that she could escape undetected. Some people had a run in with Diamond Dogs who told them about their own meetings with trolls and goblins and that they were once humans themselves. Luckily, nothing bad happened and the Diamond Dogs, nor the humans, did something stupid. Many came to the immediate conclusion that it wasn't much of a stretch that other new races existed now except what was known."

"I guess Mary has her hands full," Luna said dryly.

The milita's leader smiled respectfully, "Mayor Mare did her best to hold up law, order and peace, trying to tell them that violence and the call for merciless revenge wasn't the right way. That they shouldn't provoke unnecessary conflict. And many citizens agreed with her reasoning, even some refugees, if only a few. But her opposition is strong and heavily represented by a lot of angry and frightened people with, no matter if someone sees them as justified or not, a lot of understandable arguments for their cause. They blame magic in general and Iron Will strongly advises you to keep your connections to anything magical under wraps, because they will hunt you down or use your point of view related to it against you without remorse in their unfailing desire to declare anything connected to magic the mortal enemy of mankind."

Igneous Rock stroke his goatee, "Being controlled by the very force they feared didn't help, I assume?"

"After the spell was broken everybody still remembered what happened during the time they were controlled and how they couldn't shake off the feeling of wrongness from their mind, but didn't think any of it. It was like fog veiled their senses and there was nothing they could do. In the moment these poor souls were released from their prisons and the spell or curse or whatever it was ended, a huge new wave of fear, but much more fury and hatred washed over the people of this town after their own release. The first day the militia couldn't save itself from the onrush of volunteering recruits, but not everybody is cut out for the military life, be it because of the own body or other ailments. The mayor couldn't pacify the opposing parties any longer and now Ponyville is pretty much under lockdown until further notice. You chose the worst time possible to come here. I'm glad you told me who was responsible, but that will just fuel the plans and opinions of the magic opposed humans," he gravely finished his explanation.

Rainbow Dash couldn't take it anymore and exclaimed in pure frustration, "Come on! There has to be something we can do! These warlocks won't give up on the city so easily. We can't just turn our backs on Ponyville and everyone inside the walls, because some idiots are butthurt!"

The patriarch of the Pie Family opened his mouth, lecturing. "Language, young lady! Thou shall not lose faith this quick. We can not falter or we shall lose everything, an option not available." He bowed his head respectfully in front of the towering man. "Captain Iron Will, mine name is Igneous Rock Pie, son of Feldspar Granite Pie and we are humbly grateful for the knowledge thou provided us with. What kind of important and represented political factions exist in Ponyville which possess influence on the fair citizens' minds in the moment we speak?"

The tall man chuckled in good humor, "Iron Will is amused by the way you talk, Mr. Pie!"

Rainbow Dash gave him a deadpan expression, "Look who's talking."

Iron Will sheepishly scratched the back of his head, deciding to move on, "There is of course the mayor, the in the moment highest form of 'government' of our city. Then there are the remains of the Ponyville Police Department, or PPD for short. They are responsible now for the inner security. Well, as good as possible after the sullying of their image following the last two incidents. There are enough of those who blamed them for this whole mind control business, too. Iron Will thinks they are fools. Sadly, there is no captain in the moment, because nobody of the remaining officers would want to serve as a living political target and the former died in the Everfree Forest."

Shining Armor fumed on the inside at the injustice the police received. As a fellow officer he felt obliged to protect his colleagues. It wasn't like they could fight magical creatures without the right equipment, or even better, magic as support.

He could speak from undesired experiences how it felt like to see your friends dying and having no chance of preventing any of it.

And these warlocks and demons couldn't care less if magicless humans attacked them. One well aimed spell or other form of magical ability and that was it for them. The fire elementals proved how ineffective their weapons were against such foes. Shining noticed that he spaced out for a bit and listened once more to Iron Will.

"We, the Ponyville Militia, exist to protect the city at whole from all kinds of threats, but most importantly from enemies outside of town. No matter their nature. Our duty is it to protect the inhabitants at all costs. We don't interact with the political parties and we don't have any political influence, as it should be. We follow the mayor as the chosen highest authority in Ponyville. She has the most experience, enjoys a good reputation, her orders are reasonable and Iron Will isn't worried that Mayor Mare could abuse her power. Otherwise, Iron Will leads the troops as their captain as Iron Will sees fit." He nodded his head sharply to emphasize his point.

Celestia sighed with a bad feeling, "Please tell me the political figureheads can't do whatever they want."

Iron Will denied the question, "Iron Will can refuse to follow orders if Iron Will thinks that they act solely in their own interest and don't have the common weal of Ponyville in mind. It may surprise you, but this was the mayor's idea. She said that there are enough people who would abuse political power for their own selfish goals in these uncertain days without a second thought if they had the chance. She additionally implemented this new law so that the captain of the militia can refuse to follow in such cases of power abuse without suffering any consequences. The same can be said the other way around. Should the captain try to establish a coup, he can be accused of treason by any soldier under his command. As long as there is evidence of course."

"That sounds like Mary. Always organized and prepared for everything, with the needs of her citizens at heart," Cheerilee voiced proudly her opinion.

Iron Will continued after a short silence, "Now I come to the more... interesting factions."

Rainbow Dash stretched her arms in boredom and glanced shortly at the guards behind Iron Will, "Your friends look pretty nervous. We should hurry."

The bulky human noticed his fellow soldier's attitude as well, inexperience could do something like that to your nerves, "OK, listen. There is for one the 'New Amarerica Party'. It was founded by one of the remaining tolerable politicians who survived the slaughter of Canterlot. His name is Political Drive." Sometimes Iron Will seriously wasn't sure if the parents responsible for naming their child secretly hated it or simply wanted to punish it for life. He certainly got that impression with some names he heard in this land. "He and his followers want to create a place for humans from humans. Human mages, who are common knowledge by now thanks to rumors and stories about magical incidents in Manehatten and Baltimare and sightings of such reached the city at nearly a daily basis, are the only exceptions allowed here when it comes to magic. But non-humans aren't allowed in Ponyville until further notice because of the 'potential danger' they could pose."

He saw their defeated postures, "It is not really what you wished to hear, Iron Will knows that. But their reasoning is understandable and as Iron Will said, they are not really hostile, but those people are very cautious and there is nothing wrong with it."

Iron Will turned his head and showed his subordinates a raised hand and outstretched fingers, five minutes, "Then we have the 'Noble Reformer Party' under the leadership of a difficult man called High Fame. Don't let the name fool you, they are a group of rich people, who let their money work for them. Those guys think the world bows to their will. It's ridiculous, like they forgot what happened in Canterlot, thinking that they could continue to live as before. They say that economy is the most important objective and that we should trait with everything and Iron Will means everything. Drugs, farm products, clothes, services of all kinds, whatever is possible, some even 'joked' that 'common people' should be traded as slaves when they thought they were alone, because nobody would miss them. Iron Will assures you he pulled them faster into the mayor's office as they could blink. They think of magic nothing more than a tool to accumulate more riches and a weapon to be used."

He could have sworn the air around the former principal flickered.

"I see. It seems we have our fair share of work cut out for us," Celestia said in the most neutral tone Luna ever witnessed in her life. It gave her the chills.

The ones closest to her took a few steps away from the solar knight, feeling the simmering air around her as well. Only unlike Iron Will they knew that her magic was most likely responsible for it. After a few seconds everything was back to normal.

The others shared the woman's opinion about the slavery part and were positively disgusted and furious that somebody would even consider such an atrocity.

"Next up we have the FFF, or the Flora Fauna Federation. Because so many people lost loved ones thanks to attacks from formerly mythological animals or strange new plants never seen before, enough inhabitants demand retribution and call for death and destruction of all 'human hostile' animals and plants. Especially manticores and timberwolves are on the hit list. That led to the foundation of this party, animal lovers, ecologists and in general a lot of the more pacifistic sort who want to achieve that every human tries to live in peace with the new inhabitants of our world instead of being hostile. They prefer showing kindness in all regards and are very neutral when magic is the topic. They have two leaders. Two women, Tree Hugger and Noble Heart."

"That would be totally Flutters' choice," Rainbow Dash said between chuckles.

It would make her childhood friend extremely happy to know that Ms. Tree Hugger was still alive after all. She was the owner of the animal shelter Fluttershy worked in, if she remembered correctly. And she wasn't sure, but the second name was somehow familiars to her as well.

"The last politically active faction is by far the worst, but after everything what happened it has unfortunately the most supporters. A group called 'Justice'. They demand that all humans should work together to 'take back what was once rightfully territory of mankind'. Magic is very frowned upon and every human who has any connection to magic is a traitor in their eyes and every non-human is an 'enemy of peace'. That magic users' goal would be 'the total domination and enslavement of mankind', when humans don't do something to 'defend themselves, their families and the home of their ancestors'. They abuse other people's loss for their own agenda without remorse, fuel hatred against magic whenever they get the chance, declaring it 'unnatural' and play with the innocents' fear. Especially their leader is cunning and convinced a lot of citizens for her cause, implementing seeds of jealousy and distrust in their hearts. You have to be very careful around her. The leader of this group of anarchists is a woman named Prismia." Iron Will pronounced the woman's name like it was poison.

"So to sum it up: We just have to kick this Prismia person into the next week, expose the more rotten members of Justice as the shady liars they are and show Ponyville how awesome and useful magic is? Challenge accepted," Rainbow Dash ended the pregnant silence in confidence.

"It won't be easy, that's for sure. Hatred, jealousy, fury and fear are difficult to get rid off once a person is practically driven by such emotions. I hope we can convince enough citizens to listen and save them from Justice's influence," Cheerilee added worriedly.

"Whatever happens, except in the most dire situations we can't use any magic in town. In the moment our connection to magic is exposed we just deliver their toxic and spiteful rhetoric more fuel. I fear that Prismia and her followers would just declare us as some sort of spies or enemies in general, because we 'hid' the truth from them. It's always the same with those kind of people, they are like sharks and wait for the right opportunity to strike. We have to be cautious around them, like Iron Will already warned us," Celestia argued.

"Don't worry too much. Iron Will and his soldiers are trustworthy, the militia was founded before the factions went on the streets to advertise for their own agenda. Mayor Mare made sure that every recruit swore an oath and signed a contract that no soldier of the Ponyville Militia shall take part in any special political organizations, staying neutral. If anyone tries to start an uproar, we will end it as swiftly and peaceful as possible. The penalty for betrayal is harsh and ends with a sentence of imprisonment without any chance of using bureaucracy or loopholes in the old laws for the own advantage to escape the sentence. Iron Will knows you think that our way of handling things may be too harsh, but we all have to work together and solo actions won't do us any good," the captain of the militia assured.

"I understand why you have to do that and yes, perhaps harsh penalties work deterrent enough to keep crime as low as possible in these uncertain times. It may suffice to stop them for now. Perhaps we can work out better conditions when we established peace in and around Ponyville," Celestia replied hopefully.

"Sister, your approach is soft like always. But we will see," Luna criticized mildly.

"The Ponyville Militia is neutral as long as we don't disturb the inner peace of the city under the leadership of Captain Iron Will. And the PPD is under the command of Mayor Mayor Mare, but are there any other forces with weapons at their disposal we should be made aware of? Any traveling salesmen, outlaws around the city, perhaps even in Ponyville concealed in umbrages, or guarded caravans from other thorps or cities?" Igneous Rock enquired. He wanted to make sure that all important groups concerning Ponyville were accounted for.

"Yes, that would interest me as well. And I would like to see the police and military forces with my own eyes to make myself a picture from Ponyville's defense capabilities. I was once a police officer of my own in Canterlot City and would like to help with building an effective defense force." the paladin mentioned thoughtfully. At the questioning look he received, the young man introduced himself with a salute. "My name is Officer Shining Armor, sir."

Iron Will nodded, "Knock yourself out, Officer. We need any help we can get. And to answer your question, Mr. Pie, there is one group you should be made aware of. Yesterday evening we were visited by the REAL military, from Cloudsdale to be precise. The Wonderbolts sent a small team under a woman called Captain Spitfire to support Ponyville, or so she claimed. You should talk to her, come." The team went purposefully to the gate.

"I knew that Ms. Spitfire and her friends dreamed of becoming Wonderbolts, this branch of the Air Force was originally founded as stunt flyers to entertain people, only trained in basic knowledge in combat. But I guess it was to be expected that the remaining troops had to be reassigned to be actual military units. And she has the rank of a captain already? Astonishing. Together with the amarerican military we have a much better chance of defeating the Adepts of Khom," Luna said positively surprised.

"Indeed. It is good to know that Spitfire is alive and well. I was worried about the military units of our country and what happened to them. We didn't hear anything about the whereabouts of any troops since everything started. It seems she achieved her dream in the very end after all," Celestia agreed proudly.

"That's maybe true, but thanks to what costs? President Fancy Pants was always a leader of peace and provided less and less for the military budget in the last years. The army, marines and air force got smaller and smaller under his leadership, because there was no reason to keep a huge army going in times of prosperity and peace. I'm sure the troops paid the price after everything went downhill. No possibilities of fast communication and the whole world in uproar because of magic? Yeah, no. My guess is that the army had to split up in order to cover ground and to make sure that the inhabitants of this country were safe. Maybe they even suffered already huge losses? The fire elementals couldn't be killed with normal weapons, who says that what happened with Canterlot didn't happen somewhere else? Hopefully Captain Spitfire can shed some light on the situation," Shining Armor added analytically.

Nobody saw it, but Iron Will winced at the last sentence. Well, he was sure they had to be informed about it soon anyway. He saw no reason to worsen the mood now.

"I hope Mary is alright. I fear for her safety with this 'Justice' faction around," Cheerilee muttered silently. Igneous Rock, who heard her, gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder.

None of the group noticed that their youngest member was left behind. Speechless, with gaping jaw, her brain needed a reboot after this last bit of information.

Rainbow Danger Dash shook her head vigorously and exclaimed in shock, "Spitfire is what?! And why is nobody surprised except me?!"

"And that's the whole story why we are here now." Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts finished explaining her side of the story.

Iron Will escorted the team to the town hall where Mayor Mare and other important dignitaries were located. The Wonderbolts, as trained military of the USA, counted as such. They received their own rooms. The giant of a man told his guards at the gate that everything was fine and that he would handle their new guests.

Ponyville was divided, the situation worse than they thought, but not as hopeless as feared. Luviel told the team of five before they left that the Adepts of Khom sought to spread chaos and to install fear and terror in the hearts of their victims and enemies alike to demoralize them. Trying to force a fast capitulation caused by dominance and terror. She tried to judge the level and gravity of the mind control spell with her own magic during her time in the city, carefully, not wanting to endanger the citizens and found out that this spell was designed like a curse. Even after they would have been released at some point from Vyndrek, the humans would have remembered that they were under complete control of magic, to demonstrate that defying the Adepts was futile.

So after the release of the siblings' souls the memories of their time as a puppets were left behind on purpose. The town remembered.

And indeed, Iron Will told them on the way that this was the main reason why Prismia's group had the biggest part of the present population behind her, despite their more than questionable morals. Fury and terror. They were toyed with like dolls with no free will of their own, couldn't remotely defend themselves and they knew it. This sheer helplessness drove many into the wolf's waiting claws. The Adepts couldn't have helped Prismia more, even if they actually tried.

Present population, because this act of cruelty drove many souls to do exactly what they already desired from the very moment they heard of Canterlot City's fate. But couldn't, because they were caught by the mind control spell. They packed their things and searched for a new and, more importantly, safer place they could call home. A good share of the formerly undecided citizens forsake this potential battlefield in the aftermath, too. By car or foot, it didn't matter as long as they were as far away from the epicenter as possible.

Nobody could blame them. The survival of the own family and other beloved was top priority for these people, patriotism came later. And magic in its whole was the scapegoat, plus everything and everyone related to it.

The streets were busy in the middle of the day, as expected. Even in the darkest of times, capitalism could always pull through. Members of the police and newly formed Ponyville militia patrolled in small teams through town, joking with their colleagues, but only on the surface. After everything that happened even the most carefree, ignorant or stubborn kind would have to acknowledge the odds opposing their once peaceful live.

On the way to their destination the former staff of Canterlot High, Shining and Rainbow saw familiar faces every now and then.

Like for example former fellow Wondercolts like Baton Switch, Photo Finish, Cloudy Kicks, Amethyst Star and Ringo, who saw them and offered the team smiles of encouragement for what was to come. They were happy to see that such familiar faces survived from their time at CHS and didn't blame the Rainbooms for what transpired since everything started. In opposite, the ex-students knew that they were always trying to look out for them if something dangerous happened. No matter if they displayed magic of their own from time to time.

It became something like an unspoken rule. Every student knew on one way or another that magic existed, but nobody spoke openly about it because of the potential consequences. Period. Of course there were enough who still uploaded recorded videos in the internet, but to this time they weren't taken seriously.

But you had to be careful nowadays, especially in Ponyville. You never knew who listened in, on purpose or not, when you spoke positively about it in public.

They even met Mrs. Harshwhinny, the usually very, in Rainbow's opinion, boring, unfunny and extremely strict former math teacher of Canterlot High School. She was really happy to see that her colleagues were alive and well. She even gave Rainbow Dash a heartfelt greeting, voicing the concerns she had since Canterlot and about what happened to everybody who was on the field trip to Camp Everfree. Such events changed even the grumpiest of persons for the positive, the chromatic girl guessed. Even Luna was briefly caught off-guard by the open and friendly demeanor. Her eyes widened for 1.5 seconds significantly.

And then there were of course former Crystal Prep students like Royal Pin, Jet Set, Suri Polomare and a few others Shining recognized from his time at CPA. Their looks were neutral at best, but otherwise clearly hostile or downright accusing. They blamed Twilight and her 'precious new friends', how they were sometimes referred as with distaste, because they were supporter of Cinch's strict course and firm hand approach and believed stubbornly that only the most successful deserved to strive.

The girls' display of friendship gave some of their classmates the ridiculous idea to be more supportive and less competitive, unacceptable. A few of these students even openly declared that Dean Cadance should become the new principal of the academy instead of Abacus Cinch.

Whenever one of the Rainbooms displayed any magic during the games, or something unexplainable happened like the out of nowhere appearing flesh-eating plants or at the end with Twilight who nearly destroyed the world, magic was at fault. Magic only the seven friends could use. That led to solely one conclusion, the Rainbooms had to be the true hazard, in the former students' eyes. The real perpetrators or at least involved and being partly responsible why so many bad things happened in and around Canterlot, because somehow, the Rainbooms were always involved when anything crazy happened. So it was just logical for them that they should be held accountable for the city's demise, too.

Some Crystal Prepers even called Rainbow out on what happened during the Friendship Games as the person who grew magical wings during the motor cross event. It caused curious and confused, sometimes angry and worried looks pointed at her. Iron Will stepped in immediately and threatened everybody, who tried to openly blame her or others of the group, with facing charges for the attempt of stoking public unrest, slander and provoking open panic.

Jet Set and Suri were known and convinced followers of Prismia and her agenda and counted to the ones who shouted the loudest.

The amount of hostility against the Rainbooms themselves was unexpected. Luna's patience ran out fast in the face of such petty behaviour and injustice, feeling protective of her former students' reputation and their well-being and was on the verge of confronting the agitators with chosen words of her own. But Celestia silenced her sibling with a briefly pleading and understanding eye contact and motioned the group to continue walking. The solar knight wanted to avoid open confrontations or other forms of conflict at all costs so shortly after their mere arrival. It just would make things much more difficult for them as it already was the case.

Well, at least for now.

When they reached the town hall the mayor's secretary, Fast Scribbler, a poor young woman in her early twenties, who had clearly a lot on her plate these days, apologized and told them that Mayor Mare was indisposed at the moment because of an important meeting so the militia's captain decided to go directly to Spitfire. They could introduce themselves later he figured.

The first floor was where the Wonderbolts received accommodations for the duration of their stay in Ponyville. Mayor Mare insisted that the soldiers of the 'true military', as she called Spitfire's group to honor their status from a time before everything went downhill, should have a place they can call their own. Besides, they should be as close as possible to the center of political power in Ponyville in cases of emergency, so the further reasoning.

Greeting them in a fairly relaxed manner at the door were two of the infamous stunt flyers' members.

First Lieutenant Soarin, the former vice captain of the Wondercolt soccer team of CHS before he graduated. He had moderate emerald green eyes, dark grayish phthalo blue colored hair, very pale cornflower blue skin and was half a head taller than Rainbow Dash. Like all Wonderbolts he wore his uniform, an aquamarine flying suit with gold colorations at some places and a golden winged bolt as a logo on it. Only this time he seemed to wear a black second chance vest under his suit how it seemed. It had to be unbearably hot under it. Solely the head was exposed.

It was the first time for most of the team, except two, that they saw the Wonderbolt uniform in person.

And Senior Master Sergeant Fire Streak, he was since two years a part of the Bolts, but became over the time they spent together best friends with Soarin and hanged out with his circle of friends every so often. Now they were all friends, too. He had moderate purple eyes, orange hair with a pale orange streak, white skin and was a little smaller than Soarin, but taller than Dash.

The Heavens Magic user was always a little bit teased in her earliest days as a member of the Wondercolt soccer team under Spitfire, because she was the smallest of them. All in good fun of course.

When they introduced themselves with their rank Luna and Igneous Rock were both curious how it was possible that such young men were already filling higher positions. They both were well-versed in the ranking system of the air force, on their own ways.

Luna was always interested in any kind of military groups, seeking to understand why they were special and unique and what circumstances led to their founding. It was a hobby of the lunar knight and an inner desire to be informed in these processes. And being knowledgeable in the field of combat could always come in handy. Or so was her justification for being interested in the more violent areas of life when her sister asked her.

But the patriarch's business with the military of the USA could be defined as... family tradition. Well, his daughters weren't told about anything until this day, only his wife Cloudy Quartz knew about the details and she was truly firm when it came to involving their children. Solid as a rock, granite to be precise. He desired for them to have a happy life without having to worry about the Pie Family's darker history. He would have to tell them now, there was no other way around it.

It all started nearly 150 years ago when the first Pie, Basalt Copper Pie was his name, came to these lands. He was a geologist and an expert in identifying and describing all kinds of rocks and sediment.

Much like his daughter Maud planned to achieve one day, he had a Rocktorate and was later the founder of the infamous Amarerican Inistitute of Rockology near Las Pegasus. He never understood why the number of students was declining over the past 10 years. Rock Studies was a worthy major, where every student had to show patience, patience and more patience. Igneous Rock guessed the necessary passion a person had to possess when studying rocks was too much for most people to handle, so the failure rate had to be extremely high. Well, nevermind.

Basalt Copper Pie's knowledge in geology received attention of the local military during a civil war when he tricked hostile soldiers into believing gold veins could be found and in all their greed they ventured into a big cave system where he showed them ‘gold’, but in truth it was merely fool's gold, pyrite. With a few specific hits of his pickax he let the entrance collapse and with his knowledge and talent he managed to find a second exit after he lost his livid pursuers and survived.

Or so his father Feldspar Granite Pie told him the story when he was involved himself in the family business. This story was imparted generation for generation.

The military was under the command of a man named General Firefly during this time not to mistaken with the thunder demon herself, who founded later the Wonderbolts as the first kind of Air Force existing and gave them their name. They weren't always stunt flyer, that changed when Commander Easyglider established flight choreography, known as the premiere Wonderbolts choreographer, which was still used by the Wonderbolts to this day.

Back to the roots it seemed. And anew under the command of a ‘General Firefly’. Igneous Rock didn't know if this was fate or a mere coincidence, only time would answer him the question.

Basalt and Firefly became best friends and with his knowledge about rocks and ores he made it possible for the army to fund itself without a problem and using the hardest stones as building material for their fortresses, normal buildings and other defensive works. The enemy had no chance of overcoming them.

Since then, the Pie Family was generation for generation wired with the military as well-respected experts in the field of Rockology. Army, navy and especially Air Force always tasked the Pies with judging of newgrounds, finding potential resources and giving the OK for building new constructions.

He never told anyone about it, but a year ago he and his wife Cloudy Quartz took a 'vacation', as far as his daughters were concerned. The truth was that a new ore was discovered at the borders between the USA and the Frozen North and they were asked to investigate its properties.

It was fascinating. Light blue in color and harder than diamond. Their tools nearly weren't able to cut it open and what they found inside was astonishing. The inner crystals of this ore were filled with an unknown brilliant silvern energy, never witnessed before in the history of mankind. When they tried to relocate it for further investigations General Firefly and a friend of hers, he believed her name was 'Ancient Seeker', came under order of the president and confiscated the find. She told them that this couldn't become public knowledge and pleaded them to keep quiet about it.

It was no problem. Cloudy and Firefly went together to CHS in their time. His wife trusted the woman's judgement and that she knew what to do. And he trusted his wife in return. Now that he could confirm the existence of magic Igneous Rock had the feeling that this ore was much more than a mere mineral.

To this time the Fall Formal happened. Did this mean that Firefly knew that their daughters and the other girls could use magic? It would make sense. In order to keep them safe, magic couldn't become public knowledge. There were enough people with sinister intentions who would have tried to claim them for their own plans. Yes, the general made the right call.

He had to talk with Firefly about everything as early as possible. This woman knew much more than she let on.

The waiting duo let them into the Wonderbolt captain's office and it seemed they were expected.

It was a big office, with bookshelves, a big table and a lot of chairs, occupied.

To the left of the quintet sat two women.

Second Lieutenant Fleetfoot. Brilliant fuchsia eyes, white styled long hair and pale, light grayish, arctic blue skin were seen. She was the same height as Fire Streak and positioned herself closer to her captain and friend.

Besides her sat Command Chief Master Sergeant Blaze. Golden yellow skin, orange hair and moderate purple eyes gave her a similar look to Spitfire, but this woman was way more relaxed with her subordinates. A quarter of a head taller than Rainbow Dash.

On the right side sat besides each other for one Chief Master Sergeant Misty Fly. She had moderate sea green eyes, blue hair with a light streak and light yellow skin. She was close to Soarin's height.

On Misty's right, closer to the captain, sat Technical Sergeant High Winds. One of the youngest member of the Bolts. Her appearance consisted out of moderate harlequin colored eyes, dark blue puffy hair with a lighter blue streak and white skin. She was a few inches taller than Rainbow Dash.

And lastly, but not least, on Misty Fly's left sat Senior Airman Lightning Streak. Even if his rank wasn't high in comparison to his fellow Bolts, his abilities in stealth counted to the reasons he was chosen to come to Ponyville. His grayish olive eyes, the light amber hair with a pale amber colored streak and light blue skin could be seen without the head part of the suit. He was as tall as Soarin.

They all looked young and athletic. Too young to be in such positions in the opinion of Pinkie's father, but he was amish, so there was that.

Iron Will, Soarin and Fire Streak took their own seats at the sides. The latest mentioned man closed the doors after the five newcomers entered the room and sat down on a prepared couch.

With wet eyes Rainbow Dash looked at every of her former teammates and tried to act cool, saying that it was awesome that they were all alive and why they were so slow to show up here. Of course when Fleetfoot teased her about the incoming tears it was obvious, in Dash's words, that she had only something in her eyes.

Wet eyes was the highest form of mushy stuff the magician allowed herself to show in front of everybody.

The eighth Wonderbolt and leader of this group, Captain Spitfire was looking at the awaited visitors with narrowed eyes, before even the usually very professional woman smiled gladly at them. Brilliant orange eyes, light brilliant orange hair with a light brilliant amber streak and light brilliant gold skin made up her look. She was half a head taller than Dash.

She told them that it was great to see them still kicking and that they knew about Canterlot, fearing the worst. Before Luna could intervene, the younger captain raised a hand and suggested that they she would begin.

Spitfire explained to the group what happened with the Wonderbolts and how they saved and rebuilt Cloudsdale into the Wonderbolts' new HQ after President Fancy Pants gave his last order. It shocked and saddened them to have it confirmed that the former government was essentially gone. That the different military units were ordered to split up to make sure the citizens of the country were save made a lot of sense and their thoughts were with the remaining forces.

The short explanation of the losses they suffered in different battles and how they had a great need to fill the higher military ranks answered their unspoken question how it was possible that these young soldiers had such high positions

She then informed them that she was tasked by Colonel Wind Rider to come to Ponyville with a from her specially selected team to defend the city from a potential enemy and how they knew about the threat. She told them about a Dark Elf named 'Beast Tamer Makara', her demons and who the woman kidnapped and brought to the demons' base of operation known as 'Jormun'.

After she finished her explanation the eyes of everyone on the couch were huge.

"Fluttershy's whole family are prisoners of demons?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed in horror, feeling sick to the stomach.

"The poor dear," Cheerilee said sadly.

"I'm so sorry that I couldn't do anything. I swear, I will-" Fire Streak couldn't continue his oath.

"Don't sweat it. These demons would have killed you or taken prisoner, too. Without you we wouldn't even know what happened to them until it was much too late. So, uhm, thanks. We will save them, no questions asked," the Heavens Magic user replied in a very unusual calmness.

The leading Wonderbolt leant back, sighing, "Hmm, I guess you have seen a lot, too. Principal Celestia, could you please explain what happened on your side?" Captain Spitfire asked politely, but with force of a commanding officer. Luna thought that their former student seemed to enjoy her new position of authority way too much.

"Indeed, but please, call me Celestia or Ms. Celestia if you want. Canterlot High surely doesn't exist any longer. But first, how much do you know about magic?" the Solar Magic user questioned back.

Spitfire thought about her answer, "If you are talking about the Fall Formal where this Sunset Shimmer girl messed up and transformed into a demon, the Battle of the Bands and the Friendship Games, we know all about these events. There were more than enough videos in the internet and satellite imagery, well, when everything was still alive."

Luna voiced her disbelief, "You want to tell me that the government always knew about the existence of magic?! So all our secrecy was for naught?"

The Wonderbolt captain gave her former vice-principal a apologetic smile, “It seems the case, sorry. Though before you ask me why the government never did something although they knew about everything... that is a question I can not answer personally. I was just shown the pictures and notes the general had about everything from the Thunder Demon herself, before she burned everything to ashes, saying that this evidence lost its value and would only cause more harm than good when it continued to be. I don't know what she meant with it, but she only said to me before she left: 'If you meet her again, ask Rainbow Dash when you want to know more.' So seeing how you are here, 'Crash'... what in the goddess' name have you of all people to do with the highest officer of the Wonderbolts? In what relation are you standing to General Firefly?"

Rainbow mumbled something, sweating nervously under the gazes of so many people.

"What did you say?" Misty Fly enquired encouragingly.

"Firefly is... my mom," came the fateful answer.

Igneous Rock nodded with his head in understanding. So it seemed that Firefly's daughter never told anyone about her parents. Interesting.

The others didn't take the news as well as him.

Fleetfoot and most others of the Bolts turned a few shades paler, if that was even possible, "W-what?! You want to tell me we always joked about the daughter of our highest commanding officer?" she said in her lisping voice. Shaken.

"Huh. So that is the reason why I never saw your mother during a parent conference day. I was wondering why only your father Mr. Blaze appeared to these meetings," Celestia commented truly surprised.

Cheerilee muttered silently, "I think we have bigger issues right now."

Rainbow groaned in frustration. "That's exactly the reason why I never talk about my mom with anybody. People are instantly in awe and wonder and start to see me in a new light. Don't deny it, I see it in your eyes! I'm my own woman and not just 'General Firefly's daughter'! So don't you dare give me a special treatment!"

Suddenly Luna of all people put a comforting hand on the athlete's shoulder, smiling warmly, "I know how you feel. You think you would never be able to make yourself an own name. That the large shadow and the legacy of your relative would always catch up to you if it was public knowledge that the Thunder Demon was your mother, no matter what you are trying to do. But you shouldn't think like that, believe me I made once the same mistake you are making right now. I'm sure it was and never will be Firefly's intention to overshadow you, Ms. Dash. Just be yourself and other people shall learn to recognize you for your own deeds and not for your connections by blood."

Celestia smiled with slightly moistened eyes. She was proud on her sister.

"Ms. Luna is right. You will always be Rainbow Crash for me," Spitfire supported sweetly and received a joking glare.

One time you weren't looking where you were going and it shall forever be remembered. Typical.

The Wonderbolt captain continued, "But what does she mean with asking you?"

The magician sighed and told all about the pact she made with her mother and how President Fancy Pants and General Firefly were covering for the girls and Canterlot High every time something magic related happened to keep them safe.

"Understandable. Fancy Pants was never a man who would allow bad things to happen to minors. We were lucky that the president and one of the most infamous leaders of the military were on our side," Celestia commented in relief.

"Speaking of. Where is General Firefly?" Iron Will enquired. He thought the general was in Cloudsdale, just now knowing about her absence.

Spitfire shrugged with her shoulders, "Your guess is as good as mine, Captain Iron Will. She only told me that she had a very important mission of her own, grabbed Master Sergeant Surprise because of her unique magic and-" Her eye twitched heavily after Rainbow interrupted her.

"Woah! Surprise can use magic, too?! Awesome! What kind of magic can she use?"

"Water Magic." Soarin answered this time.

The twitching intensified.

"I guess that is a good time as any to tell you our side of the story. With your permission of course, Captain Spitfire." Celestia noticed the woman's expression and decided to prevent her from busting a nut, because her attempts of speaking up were ignored.

Absolutely selfless behaviour on the solar knight's part, of course. Her radiant and innocent smile was proof of that.

The Wonderbolt exhaled, calming down. "I concur."

Celestia gave a short summary of the past events. The trip to Camp Everfree, how they discovered that Canterlot was invaded, with who they lived at Sweet Apple Acres, what happened with Cinch and how they guessed that she, or the fire elemental she summoned, had something to do with the attack on the city, as well as that the elementals were the invaders themselves and the confrontation with Commander Raga.

Then how they found out that all devices of communication died, the rise of the magic of Earth, what happened in Ponyville with the mind control curse and how it was resolved and lastly, the cruel fate of Gloriosa Daisy and Timber Spruce and how the Adepts of Khom were responsible for the last two events, what they were and that the demon cult erased Camp Everfree from the map in order to construct their own base.

"...that was the short version of it for the time being, if you want to know more we would have to talk later after out meeting with the mayor. There happened a few other things, but they were more specific what led to the discovery of the magic of many of our former students and others," the former principal finished her tale.

"And then you should maybe know that we had enough encounters already to verify that the landscape outside of the cities is very dangerous. We met a giant spider brood in White Tails Wood, demons, monsters, mythological predators, mutated plants, you name it. There are many different kinds of perils around us and I bet there are countless others we are not even aware of," Shining Armor added his own thoughts the first time since they entered Ponyville.

"And Captain Iron Will was nice enough to inform us about the different factions in Ponyville and that the inhabitants knew what happened to them. So we are forced to hold back and can't use any magic, if not provoked into action. It would probably just endanger our plans to help the town and cause a lot of trouble," Luna gave her input.

"But we are awesome and defeated all odds until now. Crazy fire commander aside. I'm sure if we all work together we can send everyone who wants to cause trouble packing," Rainbow Dash said confidently.

Spitfire took all in silence and closed her eyes, hands crossed under her chin to support her head.

Soarin was more vocal about his opinion of what they were told, "Man, that's really messed up. These warlocks are not only cruel, but monsters and devil worshippers to boot. Or whatever that 'Khom' is. Spits, I don't think fighting the highest demons of Tartarus and their servants was a part of our contract, hehe." Clipper tried to lighten the mood, sweating a little.

His fellow Bolts didn't feel much better about the revelation that their enemy was a cult of fanatics and demons.

The woman acknowledged her lieutenant's statement with a brief nod of her head, before focusing on their guests anew.

"Wait, wait, wait... how many mages do you even have and what can they do?" Blaze enquired, overwhelmed.

Cheerilee answered this question. "Sadly, I myself have no magic, but we have quite a few mages, yes. And I think it's impressive when we keep in mind that only a specific type of magic can solely be used by one human from what we could understand. There is Sunny Flare, who uses Ice Magic." Fleetfoot pouted. "Indigo Zap with Lightning Magic." Spitfire grumbled. "Lemon Zest with Shadow Magic, Sugarcoat has Illusion Magic, Sour Sweet has Emotion Magic, Shining Armor has Paladin Magic, Cadance can use White Magic. Then we have Ms. Luna with Lunar Magic, Ms. Celestia with Solar Magic, Maud Pie has Stone Magic, Limestone Pie uses Warden Magic. Zecora is a troll shaman and has different abilities of her own, depending on the element she uses. Luviel is an Emerald Elf and a Mana Weaver, I'm not entirely sure what she can do. She's very mysterious with her abilities and does as she pleases. I swear, she stole my coffee again this morning... grr). And of course the Rainbooms, except Pinkie Pie. Ms. Shimmer has Phoenix Magic, Applejack uses Esper Magic, Rarity has Duelist Magic, Fluttershy has Druid Magic, Twilight Sparkle can use Arcane Magic and lastly-"

"Me! I can use Heavens Magic. Isn't that just awesome? My friends and I have even these neat geodes. Mine gives the power to run like super fast, so I'm even more awesome than usual." Rainbow's bragging was forgiven, because the Wonderbolts were too occupied to process what they just heard.

"If we don't count the shaman and the elf you have 17 mages?! OK, now I'm officially jealous. Spits we're doing something wrong," Soarin said, half-joking.

"Clipper is right, Madame! Your training doesn't give us the necessary kick!" Fleetfoot joined in with a mischievous smile.

Spitfire glared shortly at her two lieutenants for questioning her in front of civilians, if mages could even be called that anymore, before she gave them a predatory grin of her own. Knowing that her two friends were trying to annoy her for fun. "Maybe... I make sure to tell General Firefly the next time I see her that you two don't like her training methods. I will make myself comfortable and enjoy the scene when she confronts you because of your complaints."

Soarin and Fleetfoot were glancing at each other, not sure if Spitfire would actually go through with her threat. They hoped not.

"What I find interesting is that Cloudsdale has founded an own militia as well. Maybe our recruits could work together, it would make things much easier for both cities," Iron Will suggested thoughtfully.

Fire Streak gasped, what gained him attention. "Of course! Why didn't I make this connection earlier! The Shys and many others were kidnapped by this Dark Elf and she said she would bring them to a place known as 'Jormun', right? Well, you just told us that Camp Everfree was completely destroyed and that these Adepts of Khom made themselves a base at its place. Makara explained how Jormun was built where formerly Camp Everfree stood. So she has to work together with this cult, there is no other explanation possible! The Adept's base in the Everfree Forest IS Jormun!"

"That's great! We can save Flutter's parents and att-"

"No Rainbow Dash. As we already established, these Adepts of Khom consist out of warlocks. They use very dark forms of magic, as the mind control curse and these Soul Prisons already proofed. Besides that, you heard what Zecora and the girls said about this Terrorbeast, they nearly died fighting it off. And they all used magic. As long as we don't know what kind, and more important, how many forces this Punisher Vyndrak has at his disposal, we would charge in our doom. Or a trap. We have to plan everything through, no room for failure. This giant portal the others saw seems to serve as some sort of supply gate between Jormun and whatever other place is connected with it. First we have to destroy this portal somehow or they can easily call reinforcements and even with as many mages as we have, we can't just fight off entire armies ourselves. Especially if said enemy can use magic of his own," Celestia lectured, strategically thinking.

Igneous Rock Pie nodded in agreement, "Ms. Celestia is right. We can't allow ourselves to act harshly. As painful as it is to admit, dying because of foolish mistakes and wild haste won't do us any good."

"But we can't just do nothing! Who knows how much time they have left before these monsters decide to kill them!" Fire Streak gave to consider.

His captain would have none of it, "Soldier, that's enough! We all want to save the prisoners, not only you! But they are right. Headless decisions will just get us killed and as a captain of the Wonderbolts I can't and won't send soldiers into their immediate death because of boiled up emotions. We need a clear and cool head to approach the situation as it is necessary, with enough intel about the enemy before we can strike. Furthermore, General Firefly and Surprise should return soon and Colonel Wind Rider and I won't make fast decisions for a foolish attempt to gain honor and hoping something like 'luck' will bring us victory alone, risking who knows how many casualties. Did I make myself clear?"

He ground his teeth, but surrendered at last, accepting that Spitfire was right, "Yes, Captain. I apologize, my actions were way out of place."

Spitfire's voice and eyes softened, "Apology accepted my friend. Just be careful that your wish to defend the innocent won't get your brothers and sisters in arms killed or endangers them otherwise. It's a noble goal to do what is right and defend the ones who can't defend themselves, but there is always a prize to be paid for such situations. And as commanding officers we have the duty to consider the lives of our fellow soldiers, our subordinates, first and foremost. Their safety has priority and their lives are not objects we can just toss around as we want."

"Spoken like a true commander," Iron Will complimented. It made Spitfire blush.

The door opened and Fast Scribbler entered the room, squeaking when all eyes were directed at her.

Not only was she in her early twenties, but the young woman was beautiful in her own way. A nerdy way, with her light amber colored glasses and a ample chest that earned more interest from Soarin as it was appropriate. He received a painful hit with the elbow into his sides from a scowling Misty Fly, snapping him out of it. He had the decency to look embarrassed. She had azure blue eyes, light coral skin and cosmic cobalt colored hair in form of a ponytail and held by a violet rubber band. It had two streaks, one was deep ruby and the other hunter green. She wore a white skirt, purple boots with white laces and a librarian top in pale grey.

"Ex-excuse me, Captain Spitfire. Mayor Mare wishes to see you all as fast as possible, the new visitors and Mr. Will, too. I will lead you to a prepared conference room when you are ready to leave," the secretary informed, a little nervous.

"Thank you very much, Ms. Scribbler. We will come as soon as possible," Spitfire replied friendly. Fast Scribbler left.

"Do you have an idea what the mayor wants, Captain?" High Winds asked.

"Not a clue, but we shouldn't keep her waiting for longer as necessary. It sounded urgent."

"I agree. Let us see what Mayor Mare has to say," Celestia supported neutrally.

On the inside she, like many others, was worried. What would need their immediate attention that her friend Mary would call them all at once?

On the way to the mayor Shining Armor asked something that was bugging him the whole time, "Captain. How did you know that we were coming? It was clear that you were waiting for our arrival, but I didn't see it that Captain Will spoke with anyone to inform you about us."

Spitfire grinned in response. "Oh we have our ways. Right Lightning Streak?"

The Senior Airman chuckled, "Indeed we do Captain." One moment he was still walking besides Blaze, the next he disappeared like he was never there in the first place."

"What just happened?! Where is he?!" Cheerilee exclaimed surprised. The other adults raised an eyebrow and Shining and Rainbow lost their jaw.

"What do you mean Ms. Cheerilee? I'm still here," said innocently the unmistakable voice of Lightning Streak from the same place he vanished.

"I understand. Thou are using some kind of mimicry magic, right Senior Airman Streak? Igneous Rock enquired. He didn't even sound impressed. Unmoved. Firm. Unswerving.

"You are right Mr. Pie. My magic is known as 'Chameleon Magic'. It grants me the ability to blend in perfectly with my environment and to stay unseen. I move like this through the public and report anything suspicious. But don't worry, I would never abuse my ability to do something illegal like breaking into someone's home or listen to private conversations that aren't my concern. I solely use my magic every now and then to see if something from interest happens on Ponyville's streets and I heard how the guards said that strangers were at the gate. I saw you and returned to inform the captain and the rest of my colleagues here," Lightning Streak elucidated sincerely.

"You might say he's our secret weapon when we need someone who can spy on enemy territory without being spotted," Misty Fly added smugly.

"Does someone else in Ponyville knows that one of you can use magic?" Iron Will asked in interest. He never knew that one of his allies was a mage all along.

"Only Mayor Mare. She's very understanding on that topic and doesn't hold a grudge against magic like many others. In fact, she's very open-minded to it and revealed to us already how she wished that Ponyville could have its own force of magic users. But sadly that's not possible as long as the town’s population is hostile and fearful for the biggest part," High Wind responded disappointedly.

"But isn't that something we can use to our advantage? I mean this Prismia and Justice in general are clearly the bad guys, so if they plan something bad Lightning could just spy on them and boom! We have the evidence we need to take them out," Rainbow Dash voiced her opinion.

Spitfire sighed tiredly, "I know what you mean Dash and you are not the first who asked me this question in relation to Lightning's ability, but that's not as easy as you might think. We can't just spy on everybody who doesn't agree with us, no matter how much we dislike someone else's opinion or political orientation. We have no right to hurt the rights of others just out of suspicion and distrust. I won't allow any form of power abuse in my ranks, especially magic. Just because Ms. Prismia is the leader of a more than questionable political party we can't just ignore all laws and morals to do as we please. Then we wouldn't be better than the ones we try to fight and are close to being tyrants ourselves when we aim to control everything. Where will this end If we try to justify every shady action with excuses like: 'It's for the greater good'"? When do we stop? It's a dark circle of distrust and paranoia and can't end well. In short, I won't permit such actions."

That silenced all discussions for the rest of the walk.

Author's Note

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

And here a small info for all who follow this story since the very beginning. So I decided to cut extremely long chapters into two with more reasonable lengths. I think chapters with much more than 14k+ words are pulling on people's concentration and it consumes probably too much time. Having to stop reading and continuing later on is overrated anyway.

I'm working on the story, I promise. :pinkiesad2:

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 23 - Aggressive Negotiations

Their destination was at the second floor, described as 'Conference Room 01'. A big, adorned with in the door crafted leaves, ebony colored door out of wood was the place where Fast Scribbler parted ways with the group to return to her own workspace.

The room itself was plain, but it was enough for what was to come. A big oval shaped white table with a lot of wooden chairs represented the interior and in front of every chair upon the table was a glass and a small bottle of water at its side.

Six chairs were already taken. On the biggest at the end, all others were slightly smaller, sat, much to Cheerilee's, Luna's and Celestia's joy, Mayor Mayor Mare. An old and good friend. And this woman meant business.

"I still think it's a little childish that Mary dyes her hair every few weeks. Who cares that her original color is fuchsia? It doesn't look any 'less professional', as she said, I saw much worse on the head of politicians. Look at Tia, her hair looks like colorful toothpaste and I never saw anybody who disrespected her because of her coiffure," Luna thought, internally shaking her head. It made no sense to her.

The mayor wore semicircle formed golden glasses on her nose. A pure white waisted blazer, sophisticated white cloth slacks, black pumps and a black modern, professional looking black blouse gave her an authoritative appearance. She was a little taller than Cheerilee, but not as tall as Luna. Her hair was smooth and colored in light cornflower bluish grey with a lighter streak. The skin pale, light grayish amber and moderate phthalo blue eyes eyed the group.

With a warm smile, collected on the surface, but tense on the inside, Mayor Mare opened the greetings and stood up to shake hands with the newcomers, "I see that my secretary informed you, good. Captain Spitfire, Captain Will, an important matter reached my ears and we need to discuss an appropriate plan of action."

She looked at the team from Sweet Apple Acres and hugged Celestia, Luna and Cheerilee, briefly for now with so many witnesses. She planned to talk with her friends later in private in greater lengths.

The mayor didn't expect to see Rainbow Dash, a mere normal looking teenager. She recognized thanks to Shining Armor's uniform that he was a former officer of the Canterlot Police Department and Igneous Rock Pie and his business were well known in Ponyville, "It's wonderful to see you alive and well. But why did you bring your student with you, Principal Celestia? I don't think she should partake in this conversation."

Before Rainbow Dash could open her mouth without thinking, Celestia put a hand on her former student's shoulder to calm her down and looked a little sheepish at Ponyville's highest politician, "I understand your concerns, Mayor Mare. And you are right, this here is indeed one of my former students. Her name is Rainbow Dash and she has the same reason to be here like everybody else. You can trust me on this." A short eye contact promised a more detailed talk about this topic later.

"I know the world has changed for the worse, but are we really involving minors in adults' businesses nowadays? I can understand the attendance of respected persons like Principal Celestia, Vice-Principal Luna, Mr. Igneous Rock Pie and even Ms. Cheerilee as someone who always contributed to the beauty of our fare town with her ideas. And this young man is clearly a former officer from the Canterlot Police, you have my condolence by the way. It is truly tragic and horrible what happened with Canterlot City. But what could a child contribute what her elders could not?" a man in his mid fifties from the right side of the table asked in great patience, he had a strong canterlot accent and a deeper voice. But the sarcasm was thick.

"Your personal opinion is duly noted Mr. Fame," Mayor Mare replied neutrally, "May I introduce you to Mr. High Fame, leader of the currently founded political party known as the 'Noble Reformer Party'."

High Fame wore a royal purple tuxedo with a queen blue tie around his neck and a coppery colored shirt. The suit pants were royal purple, too. Finely crafted van dyke brown leather shoes and a very expensive looking silvern watch around his wrist completed his character fitting wardrobe. The man had steel blue colored skin, vermillion eyes and on his head a thick smoky black side parting as coiffure. High Fame was at least 1.84 meter tall and had wrinkled skin, displaying signs of his age.

"Your negative attitude is totally killing my vibes. I think you should try to meditate, it relaxes your chakra and mind," Tree Hugger suggested from the opposite of the table. Even the word 'relaxed' wouldn't do the woman justice.

Rainbow Dash would never say that in front of Fluttershy, but it was impossible for her to take this woman seriously. Well, still, her childhood friend loved the older caretaker to bits, insisting that Ms. Tree Hugger was never anything else than compassionate and ambitious in her beliefs.

It was kind of hard to believe.

And she wasn't sure if this woman's voice was permanently changed because of very high amounts of certain things or if it was really her normal tone. How did that even work? Should the owner of the shelter Flutters worked in be baptized as an infant in some holy oils and the responsible priest to this time accidently mistook the holy oil bottle with his private stash of essential oils? It was a possibility...

Tree Hugger was in her early thirties, had pale, light grayish purple eyes, a light amaranth rasta hair style with light vermillion highlights and light harlequin skin. She wore only an amber colored, with white flowers adorned headscarf, a willpower orange maxi dress with different small pictures of flying birds upon it and wood brown water buffalo sandals. Her satisfied and relaxed expression on the face, as nothing could bring her out of her good mode, made many people think that she solely lived in her own world and should be left alone.

Another woman in her late forties besides Tree Hugger chuckled softly and looked amused at the now visibly angry looking High Fame.

She had slight brown skin color, pink eyes and white hair in the style of a long ponytail, pulling off the feat of wearing white doctor clogs and a white coat and looking perfectly fine in it during this meeting. Some would even say good or beautiful. She wore furthermore an ochre colored shirt beneath her coat and a white cloth trousers, fitting for a doctor.

"Ms. Tree Hugger, Dr. Noble Heart, there is no reason for antagonizing Mr. Fame. He and his colleagues are doing their part for our society, like it or not," the second man at the table scolded the duo in a deep voice.

"As you already heard, these are Ms. Tree Hugger and Dr. Noble Heart, the leaders of the Flora Fauna Federation party. And the gentleman besides Mr. Fame is Mr. Political Drive, the leader of the New Amarerica Party," Mayor Mare continued the introductions with practiced ease.

"It's a pleasure and honor to meet you all. I hope we can work together to rebuild our once proud country and defeat our enemies at our doorstep in unity," added the lastly mentioned politician.

He wore like Fame a tuxedo, but in black, like the trousers and shoes. A grey tie and a white shirt completed the outfit. Slightly wild, pale turquoise hair with a white streak in the center presented his cut, a man one head taller than Soarin. Moderate palatinate purple eyes and jade colored skin marked his appearance. He was in his late thirties, so most guessed.

"Iron Will admits, he is a little concerned. Why are all leaders of the most influential factions here? And why were we called to this meeting?" The captain of the Ponyville Militia focused his eyes on the mayor to get answers.

All seats were taken by now after everybody gave a short introduction. Rainbow Dash had no position or rank she could use, so her introduction was fairly short. The chromatic girl loved it to make an awesome impression, but she knew that this meeting was serious business and swore herself that she wouldn't mess this up.

After a few seconds of observing each other just in case someone would like to say something before Mayor Mare started, Rainbow saw that as her cue and stated the obvious question. "And who are you, err, Ms... ?"

"Oh, is it finally my turn? Thank you my dear, it is exhausting to listen to so much political talk and polite truisms day for day. It can get boring very fast, don't you agree Ms. Dash? And don't worry, in opposite to Mr. Fame here I appreciate the honest opinion of all those attending. But to finally finish this little charade, so that we can start with the truly important matters, I shall introduce myself as well. My name is Prismia, humble founder of Justice," she said in a silky voice with an accent that could let assume she was from Saddle Arabia and bowed her head in a greeting manner.

"So you are the infamous leader of Justice we heard so much about? Interesting, but no less it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms. Prismia," Celestia said with her known welcoming smile.

"And young, too. I thought that the leader of so many people and such a hostility orientated political movement would be much older to be honest," Luna added with a raised eyebrow and a cold undertone.

Prismia looked like a woman in her mid twenties to early thirties and was as tall as Cadance. Long flowing, wavy antique fuchsia colored hair, amaranth purple eyes with amaranth deep purple eyeshadow and pronounced, well-maintained eyelashes combined with the perfect and pure looking ash grey skin and admirable figure could make the founder of justice desirable, if not for the coldness in these eyes. An aura of an inaccessible and unforgiving beauty. A platinum colored necklace surrounded her neck, a crowing raven as the showpiece.

Nobody was sure if it was real platinum or not.

The woman's outfit consisted out of thin black fingerless gloves which reached to the beginning of the wrist, on both gloves was on the backside silvern pictogram like pictures of the same raven she wore as jewelry. Cool black sturdy, comfortable looking leather boots in knee length, a dark green shirt, a purple cloth vest and dark sienna brown jeans completed it.

"My, my, what hostility. I'm not here to start a fight, but I won't back down either if unjustifiably provoked. So please, at least try to remain civil and we have no problem with each other," Prismia taunted smugly.

"Hey! Don't you dare to speak with Ms. Luna like-" Misty Fly was cut off by a calming gesture of Spitfire.

"You should maybe honor your own word, Ms. Prismia," the captain of the Wonderbolts suggested dryly.

The founder of Justice laughed in a very unexpected rumbling tone, "Some people can't take humor I assume. But let's not talk around the obvious any longer and just say it out loud. In the moment I introduced myself our honored new visitors looked immediately at me like I just kicked a puppy." She glanced briefly at the leader of the militia, "I have the strong feeling I have to thank you for that, Captain Will. And everybody else tries his best to ignore me, if not outright scowls in my direction. I'm not blind, nor stupid and I know nobody her seems to like me because of my, how Ms. Luna said it so fittingly, 'hostility orientated political movement'. That being said-" Prismia locked eyes with Mayor Mare "-should I leave this room now or do you have a reason for inviting me to this meeting, if not for being the center of negative attention, mayor?"

The addressed politician wanted to answer, but Shining Armor glared at the mocking woman and replied coldly, "As I see it we have very good reasons to be wary of you. For example, you and your party seek to eliminate everyone who is in any shape or form connected to magic and such straight racism has to be fought."

Many nodded firmly their heads in agreement.

Prismia's usually serene face was replaced with righteous fury, "Did you all already forget what happened to Canterlot?! Do you refuse to learn from the past?! These creatures of fire massacred thousands of citizens and burned the city to the ground! Humans are nothing more than prey for the predators of this new world, most weapons are useless against magic and all forms of communication ceased to exist!"

She spoke herself into a frenzy, "And how do you respond? With naivety! You think we can just start from zero and make everything like it was before? No! Our life on Earth changed irreversibly and we have to do our best to defend the innocent at all costs! Hundreds of people support our course, brothers who lost siblings, mothers who lost children, fathers who lost their entire family and many more. We have to secure us a place in this world before we are driven to the edge. Canterlot, Fillydelphia, which town shall fall next before you see reason?!"

The delegation from the Apples' farm was caught off-guard by the last sentence. "W-what does she mean?" Cheerilee asked fearfully into the round.

The rest of the those present glanced saddened at each other, like asking per telepathy who had the inglorious honor to tell them about the town's fate. Nobody saw it, but Prismia smiled in satisfaction to herself. Iron Will shook his head, he knew this topic would be brought up eventually.

Mayor Mayor Mare cleared her throat, deciding that she should tell them, "There is no way to describe it gently. Fillydelphia has fallen."

That the team from Sweet Apple Acres was shocked would be an understatement.

"Seriously?! Did these fire elementals attack Fillydelphia as well?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed furiously.

Now is was the others' turn to look confused and Celestia gave a short explanation of what happened with Cinch and how the summoning of High Recruiter Igniticious most likely had to do with Canterlot's fate. Especially Prismia looked interested for some unknown reason the solar knight couldn't determine.

"It is indeed disturbing that these 'fire elementals' are intelligent and able to recruit and transform humans for their rows," Political Drive shared his opinion worriedly.

"I think it is worse that this 'Cinch' character summoned one of these beings to Earth. Who knows how many fools made pacts with unknown forces in the past?" Prismia commented, playing convincingly disturbed.

"Thou wanted to avouch who invaded the port town, Mayor?" Igneous Rock reminded politely.

"Why yes, thank you Mr. Pie. As I wanted to say, Fillydelphia was attacked a few days ago, we were informed about it when first refugees, who managed to escape, arrived in Ponyville yesterday. They said that the city was invaded by hundreds of pirates and a lot of some kind of giants. The police in the city was drubbed after a brief and hopeless battle from what the rumors and stories claimed. We don't know if Fillydelphia was raised to the ground or if they took over. We, Captain Spitfire, Captain Iron WIll and I, decided to strengthen our borders as soon as possible just in case those outlaws think they can attack Ponyville or Cloudsdale as well."

Her eyes narrowed, "But now to the reason why I called you all to this meeting. As Ms. Prismia already told you, Justice has a lot of followers under the population, if not the most. Be that the case because of many different reasons. Then there is the fact that promis and most economists are part of the Noble Reformer Party. All who desire to live without hostilities and violence against others follow the FFF, founded by Ms. Hugger and Ms. Heart and then there is a fair share of inhabitants who support the New Amarerica Party, especially the craftsmen guild. To sum it up, Ponyville is driven apart in different groups of interest and I can't allow that to be as the selected mayor. We need unity to face the incoming threats, no division.

"With all due respect, mayor, we don't collaborate with the lunatics from Justice," High Fame replied, insulted.

Mayor Mare gave him a piercing glare, "Mr. Fame, I know that you all have your own ideas how to run things in this new age, but we will lose everything and are easy targets if every faction fights only for itself. I want from all of you to talk with each other here and now, no matter if you like it or not. Our survival is much more important than petty wars of virtues and opinions, did I make myself clear?" Everybody agreed, if not all for the same reasons.

"And then there is another important matter that needs our attention. As you all know, innocents were caught and taken away in the last days like several reports on paper or people stated, but we never had a clue who was responsible. That has changed. An elf woman with the name Makara is the perpetrator," Mayor Mare finished her reasoning.

"Elves exist, too?" Dr. Noble Heart spoke for the first time in surprise, very interested by these news.

Every politician shared the woman's wonder.

"Indeed. The Wonderbolts told me about it shortly after they arrived and I think you all have a right to know about it. A witness, Mr. Fire Streak here to be precise, barely managed to escape an ambush she and her, I know that's hard to believe, but it is true, demons, which she called 'Frost Hounds', prepared. She called herself by title a 'Beast Tamer' and that she was a member of a race called 'Dark Elves'. She kidnapped a family he wanted to escort to the ruins of Canterlot City and-" The solar knight cleared her throat. "Yes, Ms. Celestia? Is something the matter?"

"I apologize for the interruption, Mayor. But actually that's exactly the reason why we are here. Captain Iron Will told us that everybody in Ponyville remembers the event of being mind controlled by magic. Our group knows who the enemy is, please let me explain," Celestia declared.

The former principal didn't mention anything about magic on their side or their groups' whereabouts. Solely how a friend of them and Cheerilee, discovered the base of the Adepts of Khom where they met Filthy Rich who told them about the cult and the Soul Prisons. Then that the unfortunate victims were the murdered co-directors, but that the siblings could be saved and the cruel prisons be destroyed, without mentioning the demons or undead who guarded them, what led to the end of the mind control curse.

She lastly explained her opinion about what most likely their intentions were, that Punisher Vyndrak and Beast Tamer Makara were probably working together and that the by the Dark Elf mentioned base called Jormun was the location where formerly Camp Everfree stood.

Celestia withheld information, because the former principal didn't trust Prismia, High Fame and Political Drive with too much information.

She wasn't sure either with Ms. Tree Hugger, but Dr. Heart reminded her much of Fluttershy, or the other way around. Once she brought her own pet to the woman in the past. Celestia was sure, the doctor was more than trustworthy. Years ago the Solar Magic user found an abandoned little eagle and took it in, or more, her. She gave the bird the name Philomena and hoped the eagle was well enough nowadays. She had to let her friend go after Philomena was old and well enough to be returned to the wild.

The Wonderbolts and Iron Will didn't know that Filthy Rich was involved from their earlier talk, but in the end of things it wasn't the most important information for them.

Most of the politicians, except Prismia, etiolated after hearing some of the more gruesome details concerning the Soul Prisons' nature, High Fame even left the room to release his breakfast. He came back a few minutes later.

What they didn't know was that the knight of the sun didn't spare any details in these regards, because she wanted to see how the 'highest politicians' reacted to the news. If they were in any shape or form allied to the cult the details wouldn't have surprised them as much as it was the case, neither making them look sick for that matter.

You could maybe act surprised, but not fake nausea on command like it was the case with nearly all of them.

High Fame was definitely no suspect any longer, judging from the disgusting smell his breath had taken when he shortly told her that he was fine when she asked him if he was alright.

And once more the young woman and leader of Justice surprised the former principal. She looked visibly shocked, even if not as much as the others, when she heard about the details, but otherwise she seemed... fine. Not even disturbed in the slightest. But that was not a real hint on anything. Maybe she just had a strong stomach, maybe she witnessed already cruel acts or sights which hardened her character and heart. Besides, she watched the woman purposefully as she was talking about the Soul Prisons and saw no spark of recognition or knowledge. No, her reaction was real.

"Such atrocities. W-we have to do something! This 'Jormun' can't be allowed to exist any further. And Filthy Rich needs to pay for his act of treachery! We should send the militia to deal with these monsters immediately," High Fame demanded foolishly.

Iron Will chuckled dryly and rolled his eyes in annoyance, "You say that as if it would be the most logical and easiest solution Mr. Fame. But we don't have the people to attack it. The Ponyville Militia was founded two and a half days ago and most of Iron Will's soldiers are former civilians who want to fight for what they believe is right, without any magic of their own in opposite to the enemy, Iron Will might add." He glared at Prismia, who ignored the giant like he was beneath her. "They just had first training sessions, no real combat experience or anything like that. So how you do think would an open assault end? Iron Will can tell you that, it would be a massacre on our side. And Iron Will refuses to send his fellow soldiers, who put their trust in Iron Will, into certain doom for nothing."

"Same here. The Wonderbolts need most of their forces to secure Cloudsdale, which is much bigger than Ponyville and to keep track on what kind of threats are around the city. We can't risk that enemies like the pirates who raided Fillydelphia attack the city in the moment we try to aid you and I can't make that decision on my own without informing my superiors anyway. Colonel Wind Rider and General Firefly would have my head if I led Wonderbolts into battle, because I feel like it. Or at least the colonel as long as the general is, wherever she is," Spitfire said with an apologizing gesture.

"Come on Spits. You underestimate mom, she is pretty chill when you do something for the right reasons," Rainbow Dash assured positively and facepalmed after noticing that she talked too much.

The Wonderbolt had to stop herself from groaning at how informal her former fellow Wondercolt addressed her in front of the political leaders. She would have a private talk with Dash later about place and time when addressing the young woman with her title, "Please don't take it the wrong way Rainbow, but I fear I can't just take your word for it."

"Wait a minute. This girl is the daughter of the legendary General Firefly, the Thunder Demon herself?" High Fame looked at the Heavens Magic user like he just found a gold vein and smiled much too friendly all of sudden,"Young lady, I think we cou-"

"Oh no, you don't Mr. Fame! I won't let anyone here chuck Ms. Dash into one of the parties' agendas just because you think you could abuse her connection to her mother for your own gain," Mayor Mare cut him off, deadly serious. She glared at everyone involved. She was supported by the rest of the Sweet Apple Acres team.

All who thought about talking with Rainbow because of the new bit of information continued once more with ignoring the girl and instead talked with each other.

The chromatic girl grumbled on the inside, ignoring the heated discussions in the background. She wasn't really annoyed about Spitfire's response, it was understandable for her that she had to speak with her higher ranked officers before the captain could do something. Nor about the mayor's statement, she was secretly very grateful that the women blighted any advances on her person from anyone because of the revelation of who her mother was. No, what angered her was that normally she would give an awesome speech of motivation and together with her friends she would save the day, the end. But that was completely out of the question!

Now she couldn't even mention the word 'magic' in relation to them without blowing their cover and how could they even help Ponyville? If they offered to help with the threat these guys would immediately want to know how and it would have to be revealed that they could use magic on their own.

And that would just open a whole new can of worms nobody of their group wanted to touch even with a stick.

"Uggghhhhhh... I HATE politics! Why do we have to talk and behave like eggheads?! I came to Ponyville to help making them understand that we all have to work together so that we can kick these warlocks into the next week, but nooooo, all are just interested in their own political games. And in the bloody meantime those demon worshippers are planning who knows what! It's like playing Monopony with Twilight and Sunset! These two always make calculations like they were real-estate brokers before rolling the dice. Here like there, in both cases people think too much instead of just doing the obvious! And most of all, they all ignore me when talking and looking at each other like I'm just decoration!" Rainbow Dash ranted in her mind in fury.

She felt a comforting hand upon her shoulder. The chromatic girl looked up into the kind and warm pink eyes of Dr. Noble Heart. Her anger deflated. "So you are the infamous Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy told me a lot about you," the woman said in a soft and motherly voice. It was calming.

"Really? Err, I mean of course! I see my awesomeness is well known by now," the chromatic girl boasted. "So... you know Flutters?"

Dr. Heart chuckled in amusement,"But of course. I know the little angel since her first days in Ms. Tree Huggers animal shelter years ago." Her smile changed to an expression of great worry. "Is Fluttershy alright? I hope nothing bad happened to her."

"Yep! My friends and I keep her safe, don't worry doc. I won't let anything bad happen to her," Rainbow promised faithfully.

"I couldn't imagine a better guardian for Fluttershy than her childhood friend," the co-leader of the FFF adulated with a coy grin.

The magician blushed up a storm from embarrassment.

When regaining her countenance, Rainbow Dash replied, "OK, you got me, I give you that. I can't wait to tell her that you and Ms. Tree Hugger are alive and well. Or you could talk to her yourself," she suggested excitedly.

"Perhaps, but Ponyville faces many trials in the moment and sadly I can't leave the city alone." She whispered then quietly. "And to be honest, I fear what could happen if I let Tree Hugger handle everything alone. This woman has her heart at the right place, but I'm not entirely sure if it's the same with her mind on all occasions. Obviously you don't have that from me and if someone asks I don't know what is going on."

The younger woman chuckled, "I can already tell we will have no problems with each other, Dr. Heart."

"Oh, I sure hope so Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy's friends are always welcome in my office. So if you ever need an open ear, just seek me out. I'm sure we can always make an appointment," she tried to joke. It didn't work.

"Did you just seriously made a doctor joke?" Rainbow asked in disbelief with a deadpan.

It looked strange for the magician to see a grown older woman pout, "Fluttershy always loves my humor."

The Heaven Magic user rolled her eyes. "Well, duh. We are talking about Fluttershy. This girl is so super polite and much too kind for her own good, that she would giggle and smile at the worst of jokes to not hurt someone's feelings! As long as you don't bring wits about dark humor, or worse, where animals suffer, Flutters will always encourage someone that it was funny, even if it's not. I'm very serious with never mentioning jokes where animals get hurt or you get... the stare."

"I know what you mean. People always underestimate her passion, patience, courage and determination. But I see you don't pull any punches when it comes to being honest." Dr. Heart sighed dramatically in defeat.

"Nope! That's me in a nutshell. The super awesome Rainbow Brutal Honesty Dash. Rarity and Applejack always tell me how tactless I am sometimes." Her eyes widened, "But err, I apologize if I offended you, somehow." She looked sheepishly.

"Oh please. I wouldn't be much of an authoritative figure in my party if I had thin skin. I can take it. Besides, it's very refreshing to meet someone like you for a change these days, who isn't afraid to voice her mind. You wouldn't believe how tiring it can be when people try to talk to me in a way that I fear that they could slip on their own trail of slime," Noble Heart assured with a wink of an eye.

Now it was Rainbow's turn to laugh. She did it so loud that Luna turned around and saw how Dr. Noble Heart interacted with Rainbow Dash. Not knowing the older woman personally, but that she was one of the leaders of the Flora Fauna Federation, she stepped besides the duo, not trusting the doctor's intentions.

"I see you two have fun. Dr. Noble Heart, I don't think we ever met before. My name is Ms. Luna, no longer 'vice-principal' as Mayor Mare introduced me. But please, call me Luna." They shook hands.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I have to admit, I didn't expect you to appear in Ponyville under these circumstances. You can call me Noble Heart, or Dr. Heart. I really don't mind." She switched to a more serious tone for a few seconds, proofing her sharp mind, "I know why you are here, but I can put your fears to rest. I would never even dream about abusing Fluttershy or her friends for politics." She was friendly and kind again "That being said, I'm glad that you look out for these girls. Even if you are no longer their official vice-principal or directly responsible for their well-being any longer. You have my thanks."

Luna smiled in embarrassment at being caught, "I see. I guess I misjudged you, Dr. Heart. Excuse my harsh approach, but I still feel indeed responsible for my former students and I will do everything in my power to prevent others from tricking them into something they don't want to do."

"Come on! We aren't that young anymore. I thought saving the world like a bazillion times convinced you that we can handle our own," Rainbow Dash complained.

"Be it as it may Ms. Dash, you are still high school students in the eyes of the law and what my common sense tells me. No matter if still valid or not. So don't expect from others and me to treat you and your friends like admitted members of society. Except maybe Sunset Shimmer, if Tia told me the truth about her age," Luna answered in a lecturing tone.

Rainbow groaned. Now she knew how Scootaloo felt when Applejack, Rarity and she held their younger siblings on a tight leash to keep an eye on them.

"You can't be serious!" Cheerilee shouted angrily.

The trio walked back to the rest. "What seems to be the matter?" Noble Heart enquired carefully.

Igneous Rock answered this time, clearly peeved, "Ms. Prismia pledged that she would help and argue with the rest of Justice's members and followers in order to bring unity to Ponyville. In reverse she wants that her faction has more political influence."

"I don't know where the problem is, Ms. Cheerilee. Justice has the highest amount of support of all political parties and the biggest part of this town's population follows us. So it makes only sense for me that we should have the right to influence the troops’ movements of the city as well. I don't even talk about the pathetic remains of the police. No, the Ponyville Militia suffices completely," Prismia defended herself.

She triggered Twilight's big brother.

"How dare you talk about the deaths and sacrifices the Ponyville Police Department has made in such a way!? They died for the likes of you! To defend this town from threats! You should show the respect they rightfully deserve!" Shining Armor screamed, livid as never before in his life.

Prismia looked bored at her perfectly manicured amaranth colored fingernails. "Are you done? Respect, as you claim they deserve, has to be earned, Officer Armor. I don't think such 'heroic' actions like getting slaughtered as worthless animals and running away like cowards earned them any respect at all. No, I fear you fell prey to disillusions. As you should know by now, the understandably scared and unsure inhabitants of this stricken town lost their faith into the police. The PPP is, to put it plainly, a laughing stock. 30 so called 'elite forces' ventured bravely into the Everfree Forest, with the best possible equipment at their disposal... and they were massacred. I know, you as a fellow officer think it is your duty to protect your colleagues' pride and honor, but, well, they already lost it on their own. I know such honesty pains your heart, but I think you have to face the truth." Her voice was filled with mocking sarcasm.

Shining Armor nearly used his magic from utter fury, but Celestia stopped him in time from doing something he, and their group for that matter, would regret in one way or another. She positioned herself between the paladin and the now smirking woman. But she could understand him well, the Solar Magic user truly wished she could wipe that arrogant expression from the face of Justice's founder.

She put as much neutrality and edge into her voice as possible, "Do you have no shame? You disrespect the dead, no matter what you think they deserved. You constantly taunt everybody in this room and now you demand having influence on the militia's forces? What. Is. Your. Game. Prismia? If the Adepts of Khom attack Ponyville you will face death, torture, maybe worse, like everyone else in the city. How do you think will that work out when you drive a wedge between us? Between the people of Ponyville? We need a solution, but everything you do is mocking us and our ideas. It is like you don't possess any drive to create peace and harmony, only desire to sow chaos and distrust."

Most felt the same kind of anger in themselves like Shining Armor. This woman practically begged for a black eye.

First she didn't react at all, then Prismia snorted quietly, later chuckled and finally laughed her head off. When she wiped the tears from her eyes the tall young woman looked sincerely amused at the magician, "Game? What game, Ms. Celestia? What you see as 'mocking' and 'taunting' is only my honest opinion. I thought honesty was such an important virtue for people like you? Or is it only important when it suits your fancy? When it helps with achieving your own plans? Typical. Insulting others, but in the end you are not better. You just don't show it so openly in opposite to my humble self."

Prismia switched her attention to the glaring Mayor Mare, "Mayor, this is my one and only condition for helping you. I even budge an inch. Yes, I want to have something to say when it comes to deciding where the patrols are going and what the troops should do in the case of an attack, but you can overrule my decisions in a heartbeat if you want. Hm? How is that? Captain Iron Will can even ignore me to his heart's content, as well as his soldiers, should they judge my orders as dangerous, suicidal or otherwise unacceptable. So, what do you think?"

Mayor Mare sighed heavily and bended her head down a little bit, closing her eyes to think. Silence. After what seemed like an eternity for everyone else in the room who waited to hear her decision, she replied in a most diplomatic and warning tone, "I accept your condition. For the peace and continuity of the town I will grant you this one wish. Nothing more. And I warn you only this one time, Prismia. When I see or hear of even the smallest evidence that you abuse my trust for your own selfish goals I promise you here and now that you can't even blink as fast as you land in prison. Understood?"

"Crystal, mayor. You won't regret it, but there is one more little thing. I don't trust somebody's word alone in these uncertain times. It can always happen that people claim that I am a liar or someone of this room who doesn't like me spreads rumors to ruin my reputation. I would sleep much sounder if you could sign this." Prismia put a shortly written letter on the table in front of Mayor Mare. "This little contract here was prepared by me in the unlikely case you might accept, of course you can read it through to make sure everything's in order and shall be the physical proof of our agreement. Afterwards nobody can claim otherwise. Please sign it with your name and a seal of approval. As you can see I already signed it with my own. It is official then."

Rainbow Dash was rarely so creeped out before in her life. Reading about it in Daring Do books or seeing it in awesome movies is one thing, but witnessing it with her own eyes? This woman prepared everything to the T, even the freaking contract! It was like being attestor of how the mayor was shortly before signing a contract with the devil. Or a demoness.

"I see. You planned for this situation? That doesn't make you any more trustworthy, more the opposite, but be it as it is. I expect from you to keep your part of the deal, Ms. Prismia," Mayor Mayor Mare pointed out politely.

"I know how that looks like, but can you truly blame me? We both know that I have more than enough political enemies who would just love to see me fall," Prismia answered curtly.

After the contract was signed and approved, the tall woman took it into her hands, "Perfect. I knew you would see it my way. But I can see that my presence is no longer appreciated. I will go now and leave you all to your own businesses. Have a nice day everyone." She bowed one last time to the crowd in respect and left.

After half a minute Iron Will said bluntly what most thought, "Mayor, Iron Will thinks you just made a terrible mistake."

"I concur. This woman is like a snake in human form. I don't trust her as far as I can throw her," Fleetfoot supported venomously.

"So that's it? We all go out empty-handed and she can just come in here, blackmail you into submission and gets what she wants? I can't believe it! Mayor, I demand that we from the Nobel Ref-" High Fame didn't have the courage to finish his own demand because of the cold look he received by her.

"What do you all expect me to do? Toss her into prison? For what? Accusing her of blackmailing me without actually having anything tangible as a proof that she blackmails me in the first place? That she has the choice of obeying me or that she won't see the light of day ever again and rot in a dark prison? That would be abuse of power from my side and a crime I won't commit. Furthermore, I could have just said 'no' and be done with it. But I accepted, because I swore an oath on our constitution! An oath that I would do anything in my power to protect the citizens of Ponyville as their mayor! I won't present this cult the whole town and its entire population on a silver tray. That, I can promise you. If I need to swallow my own pride and accept one single condition to give this woman the satisfaction to have power over the militia, which can be overruled at all time I might add, in order to save Ponyville, so be it! I would do it again." She glared pointedly at the rest of political figureheads, "Do you have any other important topics to discuss with me or can I return to my office?"

Political Drive, Tree Hugger and High Fame left the room, as it wasn't the case, the rest stayed behind. Mayor Mare looked critically at the crowd in front of her.

"Mary. There are many things I left out, because I don't trust the people who left the room with these informations," Celestia admitted to one of her oldest friends, what gained her the wanted attention.

"Tia. You are my friend and I trust you, but I hope there is a very good reason why you just kept important information on purpose from leading figures of the most influential parties of this city," Mayor Mare stated warningly.

"I think if I told you the most important things you will understand why I didn't tell everyone in this room the details. Well..." The solar knight glanced at Dr. Noble Heart, not sure how the others of her team would react.

"You can tell her Tia. Dr. Heart is a trustworthy woman," Luna of all people assured her sibling, what surprised Celestia a little bit. She nodded in appreciated acceptance.

The now as a magician known former principal retold her story in greater detail and included her own tale how she found her magic to give an example how the process of discovering someone's own abilities could work. From their departure from Camp Everfree to this day without explaining the individual adventures they all had in small groups, for time reasons. She even gave very short summaries of the magical events which took place at CHS since the Fall Formal, with dramatic additional material, provided by Rainbow Dash.

But she kept quiet about Sunset's origin, Princess Twilight or Equestria and the portal. They all decided together that Equestria couldn't become public knowledge outside of their group. Too many unknown forces and factors were now in play, what could endanger Sunset's homeworld if it gained the wrong kind of attention.

Mayor Mare gave a forced smile and could only shake her head in exhaustion, "So Canterlot City fell most likely because of a foolish woman, who couldn't accept a tie in the Friendship Games. You had a near death experience with the leader of this invasion, the awoken magic of this world is responsible for the happened changes on Earth and Ms. Dash and her friends saved already the world two times, thanks to powers that awoke in them during the Fall Formal. They stopped some kind of sirens and a former student of yours, who lost control when she found an unknown magical artifact with contained and undiscovered magic of unknown origin, what makes them somehow the first humans who ever used magic from all of you?" She judged Rainbow Dash's face for any sign of a lie, "I think I recognize you now, Ms. Dash. Then the videos I saw from the Fall Formal when this demon attacked and the Battle of the Bands are real as well and not only that, but Sweet Apple Acres is basically something like a secret collection site for mages?" Mayor Mare thrummed with her fingers on the table, never leaving sight of her oldest friend, "You drive me to drink, you know that Tia?"

Celestia gave her friend in response a warm and excusing smile of her own, "I know that is very much to take in and even harder to believe, but I speak the truth. You have to decide on your own if you want to believe me or not."

"It's not that, I believe you. Really, I do after everything what happened. But I have no idea what we can do now. We can't bring any of your mages to Ponyville, nor Ms. Zecora, nor Ms. Dawnseeker because of the sheer amount of hostility against magic in general and all non-humans. A fair share of the inhabitants will immediately run away, or worse, attack you, no matter if I tell them that you are not a threat. Anxiety and hatred run too deep in some people, but without you I fear we won't have a chance against this 'Punisher Vyndrak' at all. Worse, they might even think you control my mind like it happened already with Ponyville in general. And then there is Ms. Prismia. I can't make any sense out of this woman. Sometimes she acts noble, like Ponyville’s citizens were truly her first interest at heart and then there are situations like we all witnessed where she does something incredibly selfish. Well, at least she promised to work together with the rest from now on."

"I agree with Rainbow Dash now and think that Lightning Streak should spy on her with his magic. Only to make sure that she really doesn't has any shady plans up her sleeves. If we are wrong then so be it, he doesn't even have to say anything at all in this case. But should she plan something then we need to know about it as soon as possible," Shining Armor said firmly.

"Denied. Ms. Prismia may tend to act in a way that goes against every code of politeness and respect as we know them, indeed. And she is very difficult to deal with on enough occasions, but never was there any cue on her planning something that could endanger us. Everything that happened except the mind control incident happened outside of the city's borders or in the Everfree Forest. Even the kidnappings took place somewhere else, but never in the town itself. Since everything started we had no cases of sudden disappearances, only Ms. Zecora and Ms. Cheerilee went missing, but now we know the truth. And nothing out of the ordinary occurred. No cases of mysterious murder and solely three minor cases of theft which were dealt with swiftly. In other words, there is absolutely no reason to hurt or ignore Ms. Prismia's civil rights as a woman of this country and a refugee from Canterlot City," Mayor Mare replied without leaving room for discussions.

Spitfire nodded, "I support the mayor in her statement. Without physical proof or a strongly justified reason, except a simple gut feeling or hurt pride, I won't allow such shady undercover missions to take place."

"Permission to voice my own opinion, Captain?" Lightning Streak asked.

The Wonderbolt captain gave her subordinate a judging look, "Granted soldier."

"I think there could be the possibility that Ms. Prismia may betray Ponyville, as Officer Armor and Rainbow Dash fear. Her actions are too suspicious to be ignored. With your permission I would just like to make sure that she stays in town. I won't follow her into her private rooms, only when she leaves Ponyville or goes to very unlikely and strange places if she doesn't have to hide anything. Like a dark alley or something like that or when she meets people who already look shady on their own. Otherwise I will completely ignore her and give her privacy," the Senior Airman suggested without any judgement in his voice.

"Hmm... what do you think, Mayor?" Spitfire asked curiously.

"I guess you are right, Mr. Streak. Alright, I shall allow it, but you will follow your own said rules. No spying beyond what you offered to do," Mayor Mare ordered seriously.

"You heard the woman, you have your mission, soldier," his commanding officer added forcefully.

He saluted, used his Chameleon Magic to turn invisible and searched for his subject.

"Then there is only one thing left before we take a better look at the city ourselves." Luna turned to look at Iron Will. "You. What is your secret and how are you so big? I'm very sure you were never that tall, Iron Will."

"Well, you already saw an elf and a troll. I hope you are ready to see more," Soarin said mysteriously.

"Please don't scream. I know my true form can be very... intimidating," Iron Will warned with a grin.

"OK?" Cheerilee replied unsurely.

Iron Will took off a harmless looking golden ring, without any special features, from his left ring finger. Suddenly his body glowed in a bronze colored energy. When the light vanished the quintet saw it for the first time in their life. A minotaur. A giant of a minotaur.

Iron Will grew taller to 2.70m and was built in a way that let the best trained human body builder look like a pushover in comparison. It seemed for them his colors didn't change that much. His eyes and haircut stayed the same, the skin, no, fur, turned maybe one to two shades darker on the upper body and a dark grayish cobalt blue concealed now his lower body. Luckily for all, his clothes changed as well.

Or was that his original outfit? Rainbow Dash asked herself that sometimes as well. What happened with the outfit she got from the geode and what happened to her original clothes when they switched? She was no Rarity, but the athlete couldn't deny that she was in situations when she asked herself what just happened with the clothes she wore three seconds earlier and if she would get them back, because her cellphone was in there.

He wore now coconut brown leather pants which reached shortly below his knees and a open giant vest in the same color and leather with a crest upon the right side of his vest on chest height. A black bull hoof of a minotaur and a bright brown bow and arrow in the background. Iron Will possessed besides all that huge black bull-like hooves and a grey nose ring in his face. Some of the present humans winced alone from looking at the thing and had to fight the urge to touch their own nose in discomfort. The goatee was longer than it was the case when he was human and the utmost front of his bull-like face, but not completely as long as that of cows, where his nostrils were, wasn't grayish cobalt blue like his upper half, but black and void of fur. The two most protruding features were two very characteristic body parts of minotaurs. Tail and horns. The horns were silvern, U-shaped, long, broad at the basis with visible rings like they were carved and sharp at the end. The tail was colored like his upper body, starting where the tailbone of humans would be and the hair at the end of it was the same color as his hair upon the head.

"Holy cow!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed in shock without thinking what she just said. Cheerilee fainted on the spot.

"Iron Will takes offense to that..." Iron Will muttered in a slightly deeper, but otherwise recognizable voice.

And an annoyed snort, because once more a human felt the need to lose conscious around his true form.

"Hey High Winds! Didn't the same thing happen to you when you saw Captain Iron Will the first time in his real form?" Soarin teased shamelessly.

The sergeant's cheeks burned, "I did not!"

"Wow... this is so fascinating!" Dr. Noble Heart exclaimed in sheer joy. Her inner veterinarian was happy and curious like rarely before, "Do you have the same anatomy like a human? Or a bull? Of a hybrid like in the greek mythology?"

"Both? Iron Will never cared, because he got never ill since he received this new form. Iron Will knows his blood type is the same, but somehow changed. He didn't listen to what the clan shaman said exactly," the minotaur answered honestly.

"But I-you need to know such things in case you get ill or poisoned or hurt! Please visit me in my laboratory as soon as possible and let me take notes on your anatomy. It may save your life one day," Dr. Heart argued urgently.

"OK, OK. Iron Will shall visit you." On the outside Noble Heart looked pleased, but not excited. Whereas in her mind was christmas.

"Thou have a 'clan', Mr. Will?" Igneous Rock Pie asked.

"Yes, Mr. Pie." He pointed with his finger at the emblem on his vest, "This here is the crest of Iron Will's clan. We are the Blackhoof Clan and have hunters for the most part in it, with some shamans and druids. That is why ours is a black hoof with a bow and arrow behind it. Iron Will is a good and proud hunter. He remembers his greatest battle when Iron Will walked the wide lands of Magoth, you know it under the name of Greece, together with his fellow brothers and sisters to hunt Blood Claws. It was a glorious battle. Iron Will killed at least six. His arrows were truly guided by the White Hunter."

"White Hunter? Blood Claws?" Rainbow Dash wanted to know. These Blood Claws sounded cool.

"The White Hunter is the being we minotaur hunters believe in and in his teachings. To balance out the land's fauna, should the need arise. Blood Claws are sneaky oversized lizards on four legs and reproduce like rabbits. If you are not careful they get you with their acidic spit and believe Iron Will when he says you lose your face literally if it lands a hit," the minotaur explained patiently.

Not so cool anymore.

"Since when exist minotaurs? It can't be that long, otherwise we would have heard about it that your kind walked on Earth," Celestia wanted to know.

"Four months? Yes, Iron Will is sure. And no, that wasn't necessarily the case. Our shamans and druids created immediately as one of the first things this ring you saw on Iron Will's finger. We took on an illusion that let us appear like very tall versions of how we looked before we became minotaurs. Our chieftains weren't sure how to approach the situation in a world of humans, but then the leaders of the Druid Sanctum could verify that the magic of this world awoke faster and faster and that the whole planet would soon be changed. New animals and plants followed shortly after us. The day of the Dawn of Magic came near. As 'Dawn of Magic' was named the day when all magic of Earth would awake completely. But something was strange..." He looked thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" Shining Armor enquired this time.

"The druids of the sanctum are the wisest, oldest and most powerful of our people, containing druids of all clans. They could feel with their connection to the world how the process of the magic's awakening was accelerated over the time, it was like something helped. Or so explained Iron Will's leader of the Blackhoof Clan, Chieftain Fierce Blood."

"I knew it! So there is a bad guy who did all this!" Rainbow Dash shouted in victory.

"Rainbow, there exist most likely hundreds of possible reasons why that happened. It doesn't really mean that someone lent a hand on this matter," Misty Fly voiced her opinion.

"Maybe. But it doesn't mean that it's impossible, either," the chromatic girl countered logically.

She liked her version. Whoever was responsible would get the trashing of his life. Or her life, in the case it was a female. Until now every crazy magical maniac was a female, now that she thought about it. So Rainbow's bets were on a woman. Whoever it was messed with the wrong group of friends!

"What I never asked you before. Why did you return to the USA? I would have thought that all minotaurs were needed in... Magoth was it, right? Man, I don't envy historians and geographers these days. Their jobs must be torture now," Soarin commented, pitying those poor souls.

"Iron Will lived a long time here and decided to return a month ago to make sure not too many innocents suffered during the transition process. He was in Canterlot when the invasion happened. Iron Will could only watch helplessly and made sure that as many could escape as possible with baiting the fire elementals away from the civilians. He never expected something like the invasion to happen, an occasional predator to take care off, yes, but not this." He looked outside and saw that a lot of people made their way to the training grounds, "Iron Will's recruits wait for their next training session. Enjoy your stay in Ponyville, but be on guard, just in case." The member of the Blackhoof Clan put his ring back on and returned to his human form before he left.

Mayor Mare glanced shortly at her clock and sighed in defeat. It was time, her arch nemesis was waiting for the woman... paperwork, "I think I end this day's meeting and declare it a success. For the most part."

"That sounds good. I have to write Colonel Wind Rider about the newest developments anyway," Spitfire agreed, already writing the letter in her mind.

"So, what now?" Rainbow Dash asked Celestia and Luna.

"Now we take a closer look at the situation in Ponyville and for a place to sleep for the night. Maybe we find an inn," Luna answered, stretching.

"I can show you a few places," Fire Streak offered generously.

Everybody hoped they could somehow talk the inhabitants into a more positive mindset when it came to magic. And more importantly, that Prismia kept her part of the deal.

The founder of the biggest political party of Ponyville, Justice, walked purposefully through the streets. At least that was what Lightning Blaze thought when he followed the woman.

It was truly a shame in his opinion. The appearance of a super model, the voice of every man's wet dream and the character of a stone. Cold and unforgiving.

Lightning followed Prismia through half the town, but nothing of interest happened. She sat shortly at a café and enjoyed a sandwich and a glass of water. Nothing suspicious, the woman didn't even talk with anybody. Afterwards she went into the Ponyville mall and looked over the newest available fashion designs behind the shop windows without actually entering the boutiques themselves. Yep, no conspiracy there.

"I get the feeling this whole mission was a waste of time," Lightning Streak thought in utter boredom.

It seemed he spoke too early though. Strange, as a refugee who lost everything to the flames of the fire elementals the Chameleon Magic user would have thought that she would go to one of the converted gyms or generous taverns whose owners offered shelter for the victims. But no, she walked straight to the most noble part of the city after hours of strolling through the park.

"OK? That's certainly interesting," he concluded intelligently.

The Wonderbolt never expected to see the man who opened her the door when Prismia knocked. It was an expensive looking mansion. Like seriously, great gardens, an out of marble built fountain with little horse figures as spouts. Who would live here and had to do business with his target? Well, it was good that Lightning was no gamer. He certainly wouldn't have guessed that High Fame of all people would be the owner of said property.

If that wasn't suspicious, then nothing was. Time for the interesting part.

"But that makes no sense! He looked disgusted and angry at her like everybody else during the meeting! Could this self-centered man, who wouldn't care less for others even if they were starving, really be such a good actor?" The mage was baffled.

The duo talked for a little while in front of the door before Fame let Prismia in and followed suit. Sadly he couldn't hear anything. Lightning Strike was maybe able to turn invisible, but that didn't count for other signs of his presence. Like breathing noises, footprints or the sound of his footsteps in general, nor things like smell. No, he could only fool the eyes so far with his magic and it was out of the question for him to close the distance between them. The whole entrance area in front of the mansion wasn't made out of cobblestones, but fine gravel.

They would have heard him a long time before he was even in range to listen.

"Did they just seriously let the door ajar instead of closing it? I hope they don't mind if I invite myself in," he joked to himself.

Now that he thought about it... that was another problem of his new magic. He had to stay quiet at all time as long as he was invisible and couldn't talk with anyone. The number of soliloquies easily tripled since he discovered his magic. It happened when he was trapped by timberwolves during one of his patrols and suddenly one moment he just stood there, preparing for his bloody end and the next time he opened his eyes the timberwolves looked around as if he wasn't there anymore. He was convinced they were messing with him at this time. But no, they were searching for their disappeared prey elsewhere in confusion and fury. He didn't even realize that we was invisible the whole time on his way back to his unit until Lightning spoke with Misty Fly and she ran away, screaming something about ghosts.

In retrospect, it was hilarious!

"Huh. I think I even heard a voice in my head that said the name of my magic, but I was so terrified from seeing timberwolves for the first time in my life that I completely ignored it..."

The entrance hall was gigantic. Paintings, busts, stairs leading to higher locations. Maybe they were there? He didn't take 10 steps into High Fame's home, when suddenly a big dark brown magic circle, with runes and symbols the shocked Wonderbolt never saw before in his life, appeared beneath him and big lance-like rocks shot out of the ground, trapping him. There was no escape.

"WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" Lightning screamed in panic into his mindscape.

High Fame came running from a room to his left, shocked and furious, "What have you done?! Do you know how much this carpet was worth?! It was an unicum from Yakyakistan! There is no possibility for me to replace it!"

"Calm yourself, fool. A carpet shouldn't be your highest priority in the moment. Not when we have a guest to entertain," Prismia replied coldly and stepped in front of the Bolt's stony prison, glancing over the inner space of the 'empty' prison. "Please, show your face. It is just polite to introduce yourself to us. I know that you are in there, I felt how you followed me for a long time. And I apologize for the uncomfortable situation, but I don't like stalkers." Her voice was almost scolding like the trapped mage was a naughty child.

Lightning Strike sighed and turned visible again. High Fame gasped, "A Wonderbolt?! Great! We are doomed!"

"H-how? I was always careful to keep a great distance to you and we never walked on ground where you could see footprints!" he asked in sheer disbelief.

"I fear you stepped into things much beyond your pay grade. But I guess I could enlighten you before you are free to go-" she was rudely interrupted.

"What?! B-but this man just saw us! We have to dispose of him! Even when he was ordered to follow you, the others have no proof that it was us if something happened to him!" High Fame gave to consider fearfully.

The woman's eye twitched before she glared at her 'ally', "Do you really think the Wonderbolts, this meddling Iron Will, the mayor and this self-righteous group around Celestia will just accept his disappearance? That they won't make us both to their first suspects? Or that he was the only mage in their rows? Who knows how much they kept from us. I saw it in Celestia's eyes, she told us only what she wanted us to know. No, he shall return and report to his captain that he saw nothing of interest." She looked back at Lightning. "Yes. I have a much better idea. You will provide us with the opportunity to throw them off until the task is complete."

"Are you stupid? I will never work with the likes of you! I would rather die than betraying my friends and comrades!" Lightning Streak defied.

"Now, now. You talk like you would have a choice. Let me show you what I mean," Prismia replied joyfully.

She tapped the raven figure around her neck four times with her finger and suddenly the formerly trivial looking piece of jewelry began to glow. After a briefly given show of blinding light and tossing winds, Prismia's showed her true form.

Her hair changed its color to a dark chestnut brown with highlights made of black stone. The eyes were now a brilliant ice blue, what looked like white crystals moved around her irises if someone focused long enough on the woman's eyes to notice the slow movements. The eyeshadow changed to a dark shade of tan. Prismia's ash grey skin was still there, but much darker and more appearing like perfectly polished earth instead of skin and flesh and she grew a little over the height of Celestia.

The outfit was now consisting out of a dark metallic silver robe, fit for battle, with flying splits of obsidian around her shoulders. The robe itself had only short sleeves and metallic violet highlights around the edges, a big fist-sized blue topaz was embedded into the center of the robe. Then there were to below the knees reaching boots made of Zyphorium in dark jade-green. The same color and material was used for the vambraces she now wore. Enchantments to protect her body, soul and mind from any form of hostile influence were casted upon them.

"I hope you are impressed, my little Wonderbolt," A clear distortion could be heard in her voice and a strange distant sounding undertone that remembered Lightning at the noises of a rock slip whenever the wom-whatever she was, spoke.

"W-what in the bloody Tartarus are you?!" he asked stammeringly.

She looked down upon her prisoner, "My full name is Depths Seeker Prismia, Scion of Earth and servant of Rubyleon the Invincible. One of the Seven Pillars of Continuity and faithful servant of our great lord, Granrok of the Unbending Earth. And to answer your question how I knew that you followed me, well, much to your misfortune I was the worst kind of Scion you could have met in the case of a stealth mission. It would have worked if you had any other kind of Scion as a target, but not me."

At his fearful look she chuckled cruelly, "Every earth elemental and half-elemental like me is connected to the very earth itself through our inner elemental magic. We feel it when someone walks the ground, no matter if visible or not. I can feel every presence around me in a diameter of 60 meter and I have to admit it was truly confusing at first when I looked around, my instincts and magic were telling me that there should be someone where you stood, but nobody was in sight. So I tested if my senses were somehow affected, what shouldn't have been possible, or not. I continued to feel every step you took behind me, I was aware the whole time of your presence and very curious. What kind of person had the ability to walk unseen? I told High Fame here to let the door open for you so that I could trap my pursuer. And see? My plan worked out flawlessly," Prismia explained tauntingly.

"B-but when Ms. Celestia told us all about the fire elementals and Cinch you reacted as shocked as most of us did," commented Lightning Streak in confusion.

"Yes, I didn't know that the fire elementals were the ones responsible for the attack on Canterlot City. I was... training you might say and wasn't up to date about the past events. Three days ago I returned to Earth with a mission my master gave me and only heard rumors and stories of the refugees when I came to Ponyville. I founded Justice immediately, because I needed enough political support to convince Mayor Mare that I should have influence onto the militia as leader of the biggest faction and of course playing the 'aggressive, magic-hating politician who was out for revenge and justice' made a good cover. And I never heard of other humans taking up the honorable mantle of a Scion as well and thought that I was the only one until now. I think I will ask my master if he knows anything about the recruitment of fellow Scions after I completed my task. It will be interesting to have colleagues who understand me on a more personal level for a change, perhaps you know how that is."

"What?! And you are just fine with the fact that they erased an entire city from the map?!" the mage screamed at her in disbelief and fury. High Fame jerked at the volume.

The Scion of Earth was absolutely unimpressed, "I couldn't care less what the other elemental tribes are doing." Prismia looked into the far distance, "Once I called Canterlot City my home as well. I was respected, loved, had many friends, but then she happened, Mi Amore Cadenza. Also known as Dean Cadance." She was disgusted from solely saying the name out loud and spoke the next sentence with venom in her voice, "This woman came into my life and ruined everything."

"What are you talking about? Dean Cadance is a very kind and compassionate person. I can't imagine that she would hurt others at all," Lightning Streak replied neutrally.

Even High Fame wasn’t sure, he heard about the young dean's reputation when living in Canterlot and there was never anything else than highest praise for her.

Prismia rolled her eyes in annoyance, "Of course. Like always Cadance is the little innocent angel in everybody's eyes, but you know what? She is nothing more than a lying backstabber! Did you know that I wanted to become the dean of Crystal Prep Academy, too? I worked very hard so that I may attain this position and there was a time I even called her a friend during our common studies at Canterlot University, but then she got the very thing I desired! And why? Because she thought I was wrong and she wasn't! I had visions! Ideas. How I could improve the school system itself. To make it possible for all kids from a young age on to be educated to become the best. Hard working members of society."

The ground beneath her feet shook, the tiles, much to the owner's dismay, cracked, "And what did Cadance say? That I couldn't do it! That I would 'destroy' the childhood and social life of the younger generations with my plans. Or that I would have pressured the students too much and 'having the possibility of making friends' and 'fun' would be much more important than solely focusing on academic success and good grades. That my new rules would have destroyed the will of many future students of even desiring to go to school any longer and that my ideas didn't nurture hope, inspiration or motivation, but only great fear of failure."

"M-Ms. Prismia, please c-calm yourself. I don't think my mansion is made for withstanding earthquakes," High Fame pleaded timidly, noticing how some of his walls started to crack as well.

She took a deep breath, the rumbling ceased, "Showing love and compassion was her way, unyielding discipline and cerebral stimulation was mine. Or as I saw it, the way of revolutionizing one day the entire education system. And in the end the school board had the audacity to kick me out of the closer choice for the position when Cadance ran to them behind my back, just because I didn't listen to her. She explained to them why I shouldn't become dean and what my visions would cause in the future. And they agreed! These pathetic lowlifes offered her the position as dean of Crystal Prep! How dare they taking everything I worked for away from me and falling so easily for a pretty face with a sob story!"

Her voice was now thick with apathy, "It was always the same in the newspapers the following years. One complimenting article after another for this woman and her way of handling things. She was adored and loved by all and I was left behind, reprimanded in front of the entire school board like a child and alone, because my so-called 'friends' heard from my ideas and plans somehow and tried to talk me out of it as well. When I didn't budge, they abandoned me, saying I should come back when I understood how 'wrong I was' and 'Cadance right'." She chuckled bitterly, "I understood then that humans were truly disgusting beings. Smiling and acting like they cared for you, but were ready to stab you in the back if you dared to do something they didn't approve of."

Prismia's hand illuminated with her magic that looked like dark brown swirling wind, filled with dirt, playing with her powers like a child, only bare of its joy, "So I switched into a field that fit my second greatest love besides education, botany. The art of understanding and working with Earth's most silent inhabitants. I developed over time a true passion when it came to learning about the inner life of the planet and how it affected the flora."

She let her magic surround a vase with a beautiful purple-whitish colored petunia in it. The harmless looking plant grew a little bit, looking healthier than ever before, much to the men's amazement, "Then the rumors started about newly discovered animals, beings of mythology. But what interested me weren't the animals, but the new plants. So I prepared myself for a field trip and left Canterlot City behind me to see the newest wonder this new world had to offer. I heard rumors about something that happened on the Celestial Sea during my journey, the entire ocean was one giant storm. But I'm sure you already know that. It happened near the Neighagara Falls when I encountered Treants, guardians of the the flora. I thought I was done for, but suddenly they stopped and retreated not a moment later. The earth broke apart and he appeared before me, Rubyleon the Invincible. He recognized my talent for the earth and offered me the chance of a lifetime. Joining the ranks of the earth elementals under his guidance and being a part of something much bigger than I could ever hope for as a mere human."

The Scion of Earth channeled some of her power into the earth in the vase's bottom, providing the petunia with much more nutritious humus, "Do you see now? He understood me, acknowledged me and my potential, granted me a new chance. Something no human was ready to do. So here I stand before you, Depths Seeker Prismia, Scion of Earth. One with the earth. And I won't lose any sleep when worthless trash gets disposed of like it was the case with the invasion of Canterlot. In this new world only the strong strive and the weak tremble in fear. That is something you and the rest of your little group around Captain Spitfire and Celestia don't seem to understand. You still want to play hero and think if you just try hard enough you could bring, what? A happy ending? Harmony for all? Ridiculous! There are things lurking outside of Ponyville which would make you cry in despair, but I see you will have to find that out on your own. On the hard way." Prismia laughed darkly.

The captured mage shook his head in disappointment, "I'm sorry for what happened to you and that you really believe that everybody abandoned you. I think your friends did their best to make you understand that life was more than just a sheet of paper with good grades. But seeking revenge? Sowing hatred and distrust? You are blinded by jealousy on Dean Cadance and it seems to me in response you took up this offer from beings who have no sympathy for human lives. What makes it all worse, you even support them." He glared challengingly into her eyes, "I will fight you to the very end, we all will."

"Cute. Should I shake in fear before or after your empty threats are boring me to death?" Prismia asked mockingly with rolling eyes.

Lightning Streak thought about what to do next. She was right, he had no chance to escape her. "I'm curious, you said that you are a 'Scion of Earth', but Abacus Cinch is a 'Scion of Fire', from what Ms. Celestia explained. How many kinds of elementals are there?"

She considered his words and chuckled in amusement, "Well, you will forget this meeting anyway. So I'm sure there is no harm in telling you. Five, there are five different tribes of elementals and each has a domain of its own where most elementals live. All five domains exist in a different world known as the Elemental Planes. There is for one the tribe of the fire elementals, who live in the Burning Mountains. Then we have the thunder elementals, who are calling the Gleaming Islands their home. The water elementals, their domain are the Roaring Oceans. Next the air elementals whose home is known as the Torn Heavens. And lastly the kingdom of the earth elementals, the Sunken Jungles."

Lightning had to admit that their kingdoms had the coolest names he ever heard. Spitfire and the rest seriously needed to know about what he discovered. That was all much bigger than they ever imagined.

Prismia took hold of his face with cold, smooth fingers, "And you wouldn't believe what for interesting plants I found there. Most elementals don't care for the effects of flora on living organisms, because they wouldn't be affected anyway with bodies made of water, fire, earth, lightning or wind. So the flora was usually left alone. But as a passionate botanist I just had to see what was hidden behind the names they were given. I found a flower named 'Season's Dream' and it wears this name with pride, I can promise you that. At first I only found crude descriptions of how it would show different effects, depending on the season its spores were exposed to. Spring, summer, autumn, winter. I had to look through a lot of books before I found what I wanted to know. Its spores influence how someone dreams. During the spring, Season's Desire gives a person who inhales the spores visions of the past if you would have taken another route in life. During the summer it gives you very vivid hallucinations or the worst nightmares, depending on the time of the day and if the sun or the moon is out. As long as the sun is out the spores give a person hallucinations and under the moon of the night they punish you with most terrible nightmares. During autumn the flower lets you see your greatest desires of the present and during the winter it shows you what could be happening in your future. Isn't that a wonderful creation of nature? Now the big question. What season do we have here in the moment?" Prismia asked innocently.

"Summer..." High Fame answered the question silently, but loud enough for all to hear. Lightning Streak gulped in fear.

"The sun is shining and I can completely understand that observing me for hours can be very tiring if nothing interesting happens. Who could blame you when you fell asleep, taking a well-deserved nap?" the woman stated in a compassionate tone.

She took a little bag out of her robe and grasped into it. Prismia stood directly in front of the mage's face and blew Season's Desires' red spores directly into his face. He thought holding his breath would be enough, but in the end it didn't matter, because it was already sufficient when the spores entered the body over the nose or eyes. Not that he knew it, as long as Lightning didn't sleep, nothing would happen to him.

When the, for the naked eye, visible spores disappeared out of the air because of his wild arm movements the young mage breathed in loudly before looking victoriously at his captor, "Ha! You can't harm me, because that would just provoke unwanted questions. And your spores are gone. What do you plan to do now?"

She didn't display any visible reaction at all, only answering forcefully with glowing ice blue eyes in form of one word, "Sleep."

"What are you talk... ing ab... out..." he fell to the ground, unconscious.

"What just happened?" High Fame enquired in surprise.

Prismia disbanded her created prison and answered, "Like fire elementals have the strongest offensive spells, air elementals the strongest illusion spells, to name two examples from other tribes, so have earth elementals the strongest spells when it comes to standing firm and overpowering their foes with raw strength, great defense abilities and will. Earth is known as the unbending element for a reason. In the moment he looked me into the eyes I connected to him with my mind and magic. Imagine it like a cockatrice or basilisk. They do the same. If you have a very strong will, your enemies can't overpower you. Of course in theory it sounds much easier than it actually is. He was weak and unprepared, not remotely able to withstand me in a battle of minds."

"I see... how are you so sure this man won't talk when he awakes?" High Fame asked worriedly.

The Scion shook her head at the politician's cowardice, "The hallucinations. Season's Desire tortures its victims with them in their sleep, they are like the nightmares at night, so cruel, terrifying and adapted to the victim's personal life that his mind will have to protect itself. A defense mechanism of the body will be activated in cases of very traumatizing experiences to protect someone's sanity and mind. It happens for example with children who experienced something horrible in their youth. Suppression."

Satisfaction dominated the older man's features, "That is what I call a well-executed plan! Everything works out perfectly. So he really won't remember us?"

Prismia had to stop herself from groaning, "No, he won't remember anything. The book said that besides the experiences themselves in his dreams, the victim will lose at least 2-3 hours of his memories before the person in question started to sleep. More than enough time so that he won't be able to remember this entire conversation at all, but enough after he started following me to come to the conclusion that what I did was so boring that he fell asleep on his own. He will be confused once he wakes up, yes, but that is not of our concern. And you will take care of him, bring his body to the park without raising any suspicion or being seen," Prismia ordered casually.

"Why me?!" Such dirty work was beneath a man of his status!

"You desired riches and a guaranty that no harm shall come to you by any means. Wasn't that what you wanted? And in contrast you convinced your colleagues that especially the Flora Fauna Federation and the New Amarerica Party were to be kept low on public support so that I could influence the mayor into granting me authority over the militia to some degree as the biggest political faction of town. That was the deal. You don't need to know why I need it, that's none of your business. But you will work for your reward," she clarified with a warning glare which destroyed any contempt he felt for the task before him.

"Y-yes Ms. Prismia, as you wish. As long as I'm on the side of the winners and survivors when these warlocks attack Ponyville and get what was promised to me, I'm happy." High Fame left the house in a controlled hurry to search for people who would perform his job without failure.

The chubby man didn't hear the dark cackling of his ‘partner’, "Oh, don't worry. In the end, humans like you get always what they rightfully deserve."

Author's Note

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

So the fourth Scion appeared... bets on the last one? I challenge ya!

Important: https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/801480/actual-news-editing

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 24 - Council of Six

Jormun was growing well, like cancer in its last stadium. The construction work went accordingly to plan and his army grew in numbers. Yes, Punisher Vyndrak was a satisfied warlock indeed.

And it was a beautiful place in his opinion, worthy of a man of his status. The ground on which he stood was black, dead and at some places destroyed, where the glowing orange demonic energy of his scythe was oozing out of fissures in the earth. The magic even leaked from the ground over the contaminated groundwater into the nearby lake what caused the Everfree Lake to be poisoned, dead fishes on the surface were the proof of that.

Many workers and slaves, physical strong demons known as Azakhim and captured humans worked on his outpost without a break. It was surrounded and fortified with tall walls of thick planks made of wood and enhanced through molten steel. Of course it helped them immensely that most demons didn't need sleep or rest as fast as mortal races. Some didn't need any at all.

And for the weak, well, volunteers who were dying to become sacrifices were always welcome.

Azakhim were ridiculously broadly built Lesser Demons, with short athletic legs, but a upper body that would let every human look scrawny, with arms like logs. Their proportions gave them a very misshapen appearance and a height of maybe 1.50 meter. Otherwise they had dark grey smooth, but with visible thick red veins marked, skin, a very small nose, glowing red eyes, no ears, just small little pulsating white orbs of flesh instead and a small, bold head. They wore some kind of leather shorts for the smallest level of modesty, made of the hide of unfortunate animals they found in Tartarus.

These demons were nomads and traveled in groups through the realm of demons, intelligent enough to live in the most basic of societies and could follow orders. In other words a hard working, tireless source of manpower. Every good warlock worth his profession could summon one of them.

The Adepts of Khom summoned them for the last two months in secret until the Day of Awakening came, so the Dark Council called the from their master predicted day when everything changed.

Wooden lookout towers were positioned at the corners of the base and two taller ones within Jormun, made for observing the lake's surroundings behind the Nether Gate.

As watchers served Dark Eyes. They were void black for the most part, with vivid dark yellow colored sclera, floating, out of darkness made eyeballs, with an affinity for seeing better during the night. These demons were quite tall for eyes, at least one meter and resistant so that they couldn't be destroyed from anything else than magic. They were positioned at the top of the towers and moved like headlights in prisons, illuminating their line of sight with from the sclera created yellow light.

And only one big entrance, where the road led formerly into Camp Everfree, could be used to access Jormun.

No enemy should be able to approach him without being seen.

The assembly hall of the former camp, as the only still standing building after his little display of power before he unleashed the unholy magic of his faithful scythe Soulcutter upon this once peaceful place, was rebuilt into the base of operation of the Adept's outpost. Giant maps on big tables were inscribed with up-to-date informations about the actual situation in the region in and around the Everfree Forest, communication crystals made of Demon's Desire and different documents were distributed around the room on smaller tables. Other adepts ran around and did their jobs.

Yes, it was good to know when something worked without complications. It made him nearly forget that Ponyville was warned and freed from his influence, as well as the Soul Prisons destroyed. It was humiliating how his superiors reprimanded him harshly about the loss of the two crystals and that the humans of Ponyville now knew about the warlocks' presence in the Everfree Forest.

Only thinking about it made his blood boil!

The mind control spell was designed by him like a curse to let the population of Ponyville know that they were under his control in the moment it was lifted from their mind. It would have brought him great joy to see their faces, then he could have witnessed the priceless reactions of despair and terror.

His plan backfired... and the Dark Council was very displeased with him.

All that because of a mere troll shaman and children! Something happened, but what? Perhaps these high school students learned magic of their own or the shaman in question was extraordinarily skilled. Or maybe they had help, because otherwise he couldn't explain himself the death of the Terrorbeast and the inflicted wounds upon the body. They were clearly of magical nature, he could feel it, he could taste it. No, there were no other possibilities in his opinion.

He would show them what it meant to anger Punisher Vyndrak and to make him look like a fool in front of his colleagues and superiors! Beast Tamer Makara once joked about it in one of their conversations that he should have sent two Terrorbeasts instead of one. Maybe then he would have managed to kill them.

Such insolence!

But sadly she was beyond his range. Yes, she played an obedient servant and always called him by his title, but he was sure that the Dark Elf was mocking him.

Beast Tamer counted to the strongest types of soldiers in their ranks because of their connection to the feral side of the demons of Tartarus and magical abilities. Besides that, she was a Dark Elf, a being of darkness, as their name suggested. They could live in mountains, caves, tunnels or under the night sky, they didn't need sunlight to live like many other races and could see perfectly during the night.

Makara was awake during the day, but it wasn't mandatory. Her job was for the time being to hunt for sacrifices in form of refugees or other humans she found around Jormun. And well, they weren't really known for living and wandering in the dark of the night in life-threatening forests.

Vyndrak looked at the map, analyzing the newest additions of information he received. He noted them tinily upon small pieces of paper and pinned these pieces besides the inherent name of places nearest to Jormun. Well, as much as their scouts could report at least. He came up with an own system of writing down the severity they would have to expect and what level of importance it had for the Adepts of Khom, after his own judgement:

"Ponyville"

Severity: Medium-high. Fortified by walls, one entrance at the western highway. Apparent inception of some sort of militia, many patrols. Eventually supported by sighted Wonderbolts (and mages?). Troll shaman (strong? Potentially responsible for death of Terrorbeast!)

Level of Importance: Top Priority! Population has, most likely, knowledge about Outpost Jormun and the frontier forces' presence. Nearest source of souls for summoning rituals. Inhabitants and witnesses have to be captured or killed.

"Everfree forest (east): Ruins of Castle Odyss"

Severity: Unknown in limits of castle itself. Scouts reported about strange noises and mysterious lights from afar. No more informations available because of a very close cave system that is inhabited by timberwolves in the west and manticores in the east.

Level of Importance: Medium (eventual treasures/artifacts?). Not to be approached until Ponyville was dealt with. Too many magical predators.

"Everfree Forest (south): Bogg"

Severity: Medium in the first part. Occasional sightings of basilisks, timberwolves and cockatrices. High in bogg's center and deeper. Hunting ground of hydras and sightings of Nagas.

Level of Importance: Low. No hints on objectives worth of interest. Predators (especially hydras) have to be avoided. Level of Naga threat unknown.

"Everfree Forest (west-southwest)/Ghastly Gorge"

Severity: Unknown. Something hunted and killed nearly all sent scouts. Surviving scouts reported about some sort of 'abominations' of darkness (potentially of demonic origin).

Level of Importance: Very high. Mystery has to be solved what or who was responsible. Have to be careful.

"Everfree Forest (north)"

Severity: Very Low. Den of Diamond Dogs.

Level of Importance: Extremely low. Could be used as slaves after Ponyville was conquered, otherwise worthless muts. Only targets of interest are eventually their ressources.

"White Tail Woods"

Severity: Medium. Giant spiders, hostile Traents (normally peaceful beings, something angered them. But what?) and dryads.

Level of Importance: Low for now. Seems to be a big forest like the Everfree. Has to be searched through before final judgement can be made.

"Appleloosa"

Severity: Unknown. Town could not be reached. Strong sandstorm blocked further advances. Maybe unnatural origin, storm never disappeared until now.

Level of Importance: None until further notice.

"Cloudsdale"

Severity: High. Strongly fortified. Sightings of sharp-shooters on buildings, military equipment like barbwire and vehicles with heavy machine guns are used. Most likely new HQ of Wonderbolts (former air force of US military), furthermore new militia, if uniform descriptions anything to go by.

Level of Importance: Medium if Cloudsdale seems to work alone. Another source of souls and slaves. But further actions have to be planned first. Number of enemy forces and eventual existence of mages unknown. High in case Wonderbolts aid Ponyville against us.

"Dodge City"

Severity: Unknown. City was clearly attacked. Severed heads of town's mayor and leading officer (if found insignia can be trusted) of local police were found on spears. Can not be entered, many undead (necromancer?).

Level of Importance: Medium. Threat of the undead has to be observed. Dodge City at border to Badlands (separates, as Macintosh Hills and San Palomino Desert, the USA and Neighico from each other).

"Canterlot City"

Severity: None. Completely annihilated from the map by unknown forces. State of found corpses, buildings and streets led to conclusion that city was invaded by an strong army (strangely whereabouts unknown). Clear evidences for the usage of fire magic.

Level of Importance: Probably crucial for continued mission in the USA. Situation has to be looked in deeper in case of the aggressor's nature. Potential great threat.

Vyndrak sighed happily. The world had truly gone to Tartarus, it was beautiful.

But then the punisher remembered. There were two reports that were interesting as well, but he wasn't sure what to make of the first.

For one, the scouts found a mysterious cave very close to Jormun and reported that they felt huge pain when they were trying to enter it, as if something didn't allow them to go further. He visited the cave himself and found traces of an, to him, completely unfamiliar form of magic. Magic Vyndrak never felt before, a form of energy that seemed to repel darkness itself somehow. Was it based on the element of light? The warlock wasn't sure. But he felt it when he found the source of this unknown power, pain.

The source was a crystalline tree stump of magical, but unknown, origin... and it was growing. How was that possible? But luckily for him this stump, whatever it was, seemed only to be an offspring of some sort, young and not remotely as potent as its origin.

This strange ‘light magic’ annoyed Vyndrak to no end. The pain never disappeared as long as he stood besides this thing. So he summoned his trusty weapon and rammed it into the tree. The results were... not what he expected. The punisher was sure that his scythe would corrupt and kill it, but instead the stump only lost its shine and turned, well, he could only describe it as ‘inactive’. Soulcutter solely eliminated the light and turned it to a normal tree stump made of crystal, but when the pain disappeared and he wanted to finish the job with hitting it a second time his scythe couldn't cut it at all. Like the tree somehow learned what damage his weapon could cause and created a defense mechanism.

But that was impossible, right?

It confused him greatly and why were there seven holes on the top of the stump? It looked like something once belonged into the slots. Vyndrak became, much to his shame, but he would never admit it openly, anxious and decided to turn the ground around the tree into dead black earth like he did in the former camp. He left the cave, let the entrance collapse and made sure it was impossible to reach this thing. The warlock hoped that this disgusting light magic was gone for good.

Vyndrak collected some of the energy from the stump before he attacked it the first time and sent the sample to the laboratories of Grand Master Ferill in the headquarter of the Adepts of Khom. Just in case it existed somewhere else.

Indeed, their own little capital. It was also called the ‘Citadel of Demons’ and the seat of power of the Dark Council. Rumors even said, what he could never confirm himself, that the council would have a secret shrine somewhere to prepare for Lord Khom's arrival on Terra.

Soul Citadel Madoun.

Sadly, the punisher rarely got to see its beauty nor could he regale in the death screams of the sacrificed souls. But what could a man do? His occupation as a punisher was time consuming and sent him from place to place. It was... it was... like a dream came true. Vyndrak simply loved his job!

The second report stated that two other scouts found a big apple farm between Canterlot and Ponyville, but couldn't make out any more details from the distance, because they had to retreat. They were attacked by this Emerald Elf he once met and were lucky to escape from what they said. The question was now: 'Would she interfere in the upcoming battle?' He would certainly appreciate the opportunity to rip her soul out personally, that was for sure.

But now he knew where she hid herself. Yes, after Ponyville was dealt with he should pay this farm a visit himself.

He heard steps and turned around. Filthy Rich entered the hall. Well, time for business.

"Ah, partner! What wonderful circumstances do I owe the pleasure of seeing your ugly face? Did you mess up again? Something bad happened? Or did Makara send you to annoy me?" the warlock asked sincerely interested in an innocent tone.

It confused and worried the founder of Barnyard Bargains, or the Rich Company how it was called nowadays. It brought the wanted effect and the salesman was already nervous. Filthy Rich made it just to easy.

"W-what? No! Mr. Vyn-" The warlock cleared his throat, loudly, "Excuse me. Lord Vyndrak, I didn't come to you to bring bad news. I just finished an inspection of the current numbers and wanted to inform you about the present state of your forces."

It was utterly adorable how his partner always emphasized it that they were his forces. He guessed such bootlicking was Filthy's chosen way of trying to climb up the hierarchy for now. The newest addition to their ranks started it after he had to explain that a group of teenagers managed to escape him. For shame!

Although it seemed the lessons finally worked. At first it was amusing how Filthy Rich always called him ‘Mr. Vyndrak’, because nobody, since he received his position, ever called him that. But after hearing this form of addressing his name time and time again it became boring and annoying.

What was he, his psychologist? Had this guy a stick up his ass? So he ordered the man to call him ‘lord’ at one point, as did all his subordinates.

"Speak, Acolyte Rich," Vyndrak ordered harshly.

The formerly normal human abandoned his blue business suit for the traditional midnight blue cloak of an acolyte and a black cloth belt around the waist. Otherwise he still had the same hairstyle, but his skin looked a few shades darker and his dark red slitted eyes made it obvious that he had once contact with Demon Fire at one point in his life.

Filthy began to sweat, "I-I double checked the numbers and we have at the moment 230 soldiers and 685 demons at our disposal, the army should be complete tomorrow. More troops weren't granted for the attack on Ponyville, or so Lady Makara told me. I was informed that these forces and I quote: 'Should be more than enough to conquer one single human town of that size. Potential presence of hostile mages or not'. If we desire more soldiers we need to summon demons from the plane of Tartarus ourselves, I fear."

He gave his superior a list.

The punisher's eye twitched in silent anger when he took the piece of paper with disdain at hearing this elf's name, "That's it? I see. Well, we should start making last preparations then. Tell the adepts who power the summoning circles that we need more demons before our mission starts tomorrow evening, they have my permission to use more souls this time as a sacrifice. And tell Beast Tamer Makara that we will need some of her 'toys' to summon something big! I shall check on our available troops myself."

Filthy Rich bowed respectfully, "As you wish, Milord." He left in a hurry.

Vyndrak wandered through Jormun, glancing at the newly built wooden houses and sturdily made forges. The blacksmiths were working meticulously, creating guns, bows, swords, axes, spears, warhammers, armors for the demons and magical scepters powered with demonic runes for the warlocks.

A shame that the written knowledge about the most powerful and destructive weapons of mankind disappeared from the world. All the potential suffering he could have caused with them. But beggars couldn't be choosers.

He went a little further into Jormun, aiming for the training grounds and saw them. His troops.

230 humanoid soldiers, 90 were acolytes, 40 adepts, recognizable because of the black cloaks and 100 enforcers.

They were wearing black and dark grey plate armor and a mask similar to his own with big round holes where the eyes should be, just without an opening for the mouth. But instead of looking like a human in agony and ice blue in color their mask was thin, made of iron and had no features which resembled any being, only a smooth surface. They fought with weapons instead of magic. Not everybody was fit to wield its power. Their armor gave them a cold and unforgiving aura, good.

"Now to the demons..." Vyndrak said to himself and looked at the list.

From the 685 demons were at least 400 Frost Hounds, 280... oh? Lesser demons of the Dasher species, interesting.

These were humanoid beings with enough muscles to look quite athletic, easily two meter tall, vivid acid green eyes, dark crimson red skin and ghost blue ‘hair’ in form of a tame flame on the head. Two one meter long ibex-like black horns gave them an even more threatening appearance and the teeth were sharp, ready to devour flesh. Some of them wore already for the demons crafted steel plates with a few runes inscribed into them to grant them immunity against projectiles, exceptions wore solely cloth trousers.

The blacksmiths could only cast one enchantment upon a piece of armor at a time. They tried two at once, but the enchantments cancelled each other out somehow, and range weapons were the most expected choice by the humans anyway.

Lastly, five Terrorbeasts, what pleased him immensely and took some of his earlier annoyance that they didn't receive even a full legion to attack a city of 60.000 citizens.

OK, maybe much less now, depending on how many ran away in fear or died already," Vyndrak thought in dark humor.

They should be more than strong enough to occupy Ponyville's strongest forces.

The Frost Hounds and Dashers counted as Lesser Demons whereas Terrorbeasts were High Demons. Lord Demons and Ancient Demons were much more difficult to control from what he heard and would most likely act as commanders instead of followers. Besides the fact that these demons would most likely be quiet angry if he tried to order them around.

Still, that didn't mean he couldn't try. Who knew what he was able to pull over from Tartarus with enough sacrifices? They should have caught more than enough.

"Let me get this straight... Vyndrak wants my sources of amusement and information for his summoning of a stronger demon for the upcoming invasion? Or was I mishearing you, acolyte?" Makara enquired with a raised eyebrow. Her voice cold and calculating.

"Y-yes, madam!" Filthy Rich wasn't sure what her calm tone meant for him. He was just the messenger!

She grinned with a hint of madness, "I guess Vyndrak thinks just because he was declared the commander of this outpost that he can order me around. He does good to remember his rank. Follow me."

He did without hesitation.

The acolyte was confused and voiced his concerns after a few steps, "I don't think I understand Milady."

For a short moment the dark beauty was silent, judging what cause of action had to be taken, before she continued, "Is that so? I would have thought he explained to you the ranking system of our order. What did he tell you about it? Or about my mission here?"

Filthy wasn't sure where this was going, but the truth would be best option right now in his opinion, "That I would be an acolyte, the lowest rank of warlocks in our order and that he was above me as my superior. And that you were ordered to catch humans for future projects, as well as under his command for the duration of your task here in Jormun."

Makara chuckled amusedly, "My, aren't you a polite one? But I fear he failed to mention quite a bit, let me enlighten you. On the lowest level of hierarchy, without including demons of course, are 'acolytes' and 'enforcers'.”

"My rank in our rows..." Filthy said thoughtfully.

She nodded her head, "Indeed. Then we have 'adepts' and 'executioners' as the ones above acolytes and enforcer. Above these two are 'summoner', 'punisher' and 'ignited crusaders', followed by 'witcher' and 'defender'. These are the weak to mediocre troops."

So Punisher Vyndrak wasn't as high in the ranks of the Adepts of Khom as he always gave himself? Interesting, "I understand, Milady. But what should I tell him? I don't want to annoy you, such a thought would equal a lie, but Lord Vyndrak awaits a report regarding the summoning and if he can count on the souls of your prisoners."

Her smile vanished and a frown graced her features when she thought about this little bug who dared to challenge her patience, "Don't worry your little head over Vyndrak. I can depart with a few who lost their value for me, because I received already all informations they could possibly give me.”

He was very relieved to hear that, "Thank you Milady. I'm sure Lord Vyndrak will appreciate your offerings." A sudden thought came to Filthy's mind. "Pardon my confusion, but you just graciously informed me that witchers and summoners exist, too. Why are adepts used for evoking the demons instead of the higher ranked and stronger members of the order?"

Makara looked approvingly at him, "We have a thinker here it seems. I begin to understand what this fool sees in you. But to answer your question, witchers are indeed magic users and much stronger than adepts, but they have no talent in summoning. They focus all their talent in combat, but it's more in close combat with a sword or spells from the distance. Summoners are in opposite very talented in this particular field as their titles may suggest."

"And why-"

The Dark Elf already knew what he wanted to know. "-aren't we using much stronger troops to summon much stronger demons into this domain? Simple. There are two reasons why the lower ranked adepts are being used right now. One, our stronger forces are... occupied you might say. We have a lot of demons under our command, but not all are serving willingly as Lesser Demons and High Demons. Yes, they are stronger than adepts and can logically summon even higher ranked demons. But during some tests they summoned sometimes Lord Demons and Ancient Demons, very prideful beings, especially the later, who were quite... rebellious. More than a fair share of them didn't take kindly to the fact that we tried to control them. They vary in their level of strength and will, for that reason it differs how many forces we have to use to summon and control them. We use ritualists, another higher rank, and summoners in the moment mostly to trap them in ban spells and in special cages, so that these demons don't attack us. There are some who are following, but only on the order of the Dark Council or the stronger members in our rows. Their pride wouldn't allow it to be controlled by beings much weaker than them. The second reason is that they are needed at places where the enemies are much stronger than here."

"Dark Council Milady? And excuse my forwardness, but what exactly does your rank entails exactly? Your skill in handling demons is astonishing and I'm curious. Is this set of skills somehow connected to your occupation?" Filthy Rich stroked his chin.

She chuckled at his eagerness and ignored his flattery. Normally most of the newbies were always so... frightened and didn't have the backbone to ask the most basic of questions. In fact, newly introduced acolytes and enforcers could be more a thorn in her side than a helpful addition because of their cowardice. "In order to understand our command structure you will have to listen well. Pay attention. A step higher in our hierarchy above witcher and defender are the already mentioned 'ritualists', 'beast tamers' like me and 'black knights'. We beast tamers can create a deeper connection to the more... 'feral' side of demons, their primal instincts, what grants us the possibility to establish ourselves in their mind as their 'alpha' or 'leader'. Lesser demons and Higher Demons fall under this influence much easier than any higher ranked demon. For obvious reasons. Do you understand what I want to tell you, acolyte?"

The former businessman affirmed her question, "Yes. Please continue."

She glanced briefly in the direction of their destination in the distance before facing the acolyte once more. "Now I come to the strongest of our forces, they can be seen as the elite. The highest ranks of our order are called 'champion', 'blood walker' and 'nemesis'. They are just below our 'highest superiors', as you could call them. The members of the 'Dark Council'. The most faithful servants of our lord and master, Damnation Seeker Khom. A council of six individuals of great power."

"Incredible. I didn't know that our order was organized to such a degree. I only got ideas and impressions from the scale of the order when I entered the Nether Gate to deliver messages from Lord Vyndrak to our troops in Gram'Bhen, more specifically the research facilities of one 'Grandmaster Ferill', whoever that is. Yesterday Lord Vyndrak sent me through the Nether Gate with a strange sample of some peculiar energy he found somewhere, but he didn't tell me any details." Then he noticed the strange look he received. "Did I say something wrong Milady?"

Makara responded with a neutral expression upon her face, "I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry that Vyndrak never told you anything about this man, if you can even call him that. Grandmaster Ferill is a member of the Dark Council and leading researcher of all scientific projects for the Adepts of Khom, magical or not."

Filthy Rich was shocked by this revelation.

Her voice turned gravely, "Be glad you never met him in person. I did it once in my life when I had to deliver a report not long ago. I could literally feel his madness and the aura of power surrounding him."

He wasn't sure what to make out of this information, "I-I see. But what meaning has the title 'Grandmaster'? You didn't mention it when you explained our ranking system to me, Milady."

"You are right, I didn't. Some titles are solely given under special circumstances. We don't have any military structure in the typical sense, like calling leaders of our forces 'admiral', 'general', 'captain', ‘corporal’ or anything alike. No, leading positions are assigned after the rank someone possesses, skill, intelligence and leadership qualities. Do you understand now why I was angry when you told me what this insect demanded? Punisher Vyndrak owns the highest rank of you all, what isn't difficult when Jormun has only acolytes, enforcers and adepts to begin with. That is the reason he was made 'commander' of this new little outpost. He can't order me around as this fool desires because of my rank of a beast tamer. He has solely command about all forces assigned to Jormun below or equal his rank."

It made sense. Vyndrak already said to him that he would tell Filthy Rich only what he deemed mandatory for now.

She looked positively mad, "This little liar was only honest with you when he said that I had the task to capture prisoners. But even that is beyond his influence, I was only sent to assist and to capture easy prey. Everything concerning my methods, how I hunt, who I take, what I decide to do with the rest after I sent the needed amount of souls through the Nether Gate. I'm allowed to complete the me given orders as I see fit. Vyndrak has no say in these matters. Of course I hope you will keep quiet about everything. I don't need it that he plagues me any further with his complains and empty threats. This imbecile couldn't make them reality anyway, not even in his dreams."

The acolyte bowed his head shortly in a thankful gesture, "I think that was everything. Thank you very much for informing me about the inner workings of our order, Milady."

Makara dismissed his gratitude with a waving hand, "Don't mention it, after what Vyndrak tried I'm more than ready to put him in his place and to do things without his knowledge. Like informing you about topics he didn't mention until now and to make it clear how insignificant he is in the greater scheme of things."

The beast tamer led Filthy behind the training grounds to a big crudely made shack. The enforcers in front of the building saluted them and opened the door.

The interior of the building reminded the family father at the Early Middle Ages. Very small windows to grant the prisoners the smallest amounts of fresh air, the only light sources were candles and a lot of metal cages, with poor unfortunate souls in them. That was everything he could make out.

Some of them looked utterly hopeless, others broken, some nervous, especially the younger humans were crying. A few still had some fight left in them and attempted to glare holes into the duo. Filthy was more than relieved that there were no children under the prisoners.

Would such a fate befall his own daughter? Was it already reality in this new world? Was he too late to save her? He didn't know.

In the back of the shack were two wooden doors leading to some unknown rooms, but the disgusting smell that hit him when they walked through the left door, next to the one which was the source of this stench, told him everything he didn't want to know.

The Dark Elf glanced at him in amusement, "What did you expect to find, acolyte? This forest doesn't have functioning plumping, gas or electricity, so improvised solutions had to be taken instead. I hope you will excuse this, but since the Great Change happened commodes or any modern plumbing systems are rare to come by these days. It is not like we could simply call someone to build a connection to the nearest sewer for us. And hey, at least they don't succumb to the smell of their own natural products. It doesn't bring me anything when my little toys are already broken, ill or dead before I could rip their secrets out of them."

"I-I had my suspicions, but the truth doesn't comfort my nose as well as I hoped. I prepared myself in my mind for what was to come and the results are not what I desired." Filthy Rich tried his best not to vomit from the stench.

Makara stopped shortly behind the door, much to his dismay. The stench was still there, cursed be his better senses, "Now, I have questions of my own and I hope you will satisfy my curiosity. What is your drive? What are your goals?"

"M-my goals Mylady?" He tried not to gag. How could she be so calm?

"Of course. There have to be reasons why you seek power and recognition in our ranks. The corruption of the Demon Fire doesn't go deep enough that you are driven to insanity in order to pursue a dream of world domination. Nor does it enslave you to some unknown goal. It only brings your darkest desires to the surface to let the receiver of the Demon Fire become more... accepting of the new abilities and the fact that you lost your humanity for a good part. But it doesn't promote these desires to your core ambitions for the rest of your life. No, you are very much free in your will. Then there is the fact that there are only two outcomes if a mortal is blessed with it. You perish, because your body can't handle the given power and your will wasn't strong enough. Or you survive and you are a half demon from this point on, what speaks volumes about your reasons why you want to live. The weak shall be devoured by the flames of Tartarus and the strong shall strive forth."

"And what is if a converted person refuses to work for our order?" the businessman asked out of curiosity, but he could already imagine the answer.

The elf gave the acolyte a patient smile with a hint of madness behind it, "Of course if you are converted by us you have to follow, or you are solely seen as a potential threat in the future and will be executed on the spot. I'm curious though. Is it pure survival instinct? Aspiration after power? Or is there more?" she demanded to know.

Should he try to lie to the beast tamer? No, it wasn't worth it. But maybe she was satisfied without knowing all the details, just most of them? Vyndrak knew from the beginning about Diamond Tiara and Spoiled Rich, but never mentioned them again after he agreed to help the punisher. But he didn't know how Makara would react. And if the Dark Elf had the slightest assumption that he was lying to her face it could very well end with his death in this case.

No! That could never happen!

He was the only chance of survival for his family. Moreover, Filthy Rich heard rumors about the agonized screams of her ‘sources of information’ when they weren't cooperative enough.

This woman was an eager collector of secrets.

Filthy Rich sighed in defeat, "There are reasons, yes. In this new world to some degree, like in the old one, only the ones with power can truly strive, build the future of the many and shape their own. Before Earth changed, political power, economical influence and personal wealth played the biggest roles. But now? All the riches of this world won't save you when the next magical plant or creature, or magic using person, can just kill you like a worthless fly. You need true might, magic, at your disposal to achieve something. So yes, survival is a strong motivation of mine, but even more important for me is... my family.”

"You have a family? Interesting, continue," Makara ordered calmly.

"I have a daughter and a wife and they left the country to spend the summer break abroad. I have no idea if they are still alive, but I want to search for them, for certainty over their fate, when I am no longer needed in Jormun and have a little free time. If possible, of course. So as you can see Milady I can't die, nor do I have the luxury of nurturing second thoughts any longer. I have no regrets. I will do what needs to be done to ensure their safety, but for that, I need power. And if it means sacrificing souls of others? So be it. It may be more than questionable in regards to morality, but I don't care for the lives of strangers if it means saving my own family. As long as I'm alive and do what is expected from me the chance to find, save and protect them continues to exist. Morals and virtues are necessary sacrifices for this highest of goals. My greatest ambition. And if it means to serve our order without fail? Then it shall be done," the acolyte finished his explanation faithfully and kneeled like a loyal knight in front of the unmoving elf.

Makara snorted and had to hold back a laugh, "How noble. A loving father who wants to rescue his family, ready to sacrifice whatever is necessary. I guess you gave me enough answers for now. I presume Vyndrak already knew about your family and used this knowledge to force your hand? Let me guess, he threatened to harm them if you wouldn't have agreed to help him?"

The man nodded silently.

She didn't like to admit it, but Vyndrak was very good in informing himself about his objectives and targets. She only heard that he had the task to create the order's first outpost in the USA, without attracting attention until it was time to reveal their existence. But to make sure that nobody would disturb them they needed cover, local help, or both. In the moment the Dark Elf saw Filthy Rich she had her suspicions what the warlock did.

The still kneeling acolyte just confirmed it. To use one of the most famous salesmen on the world was a very good plan, but Makara would rather die than complimenting Vyndrak openly.

Well, brilliance for a short time at least.

Obviously he blew it when the warlock manipulated the mind control spell so that the citizens of Ponyville would remember that they were under his influence. This sadist solely caused trouble with his wishes to create fear and terror. All that because he didn't expect that someone would actually find the Soul Prisons as well as overcoming the selected guards. Or that a handful of children, with the help of this troll shaman or not, could escape a Terrorbeast. What an arrogant and overconfident fool.

And she could never be sure how much information he shared truthfully with her and what he kept to himself. Sadly she couldn't torture it out of him. The beast tamer wouldn't put it past him if torture was his secret fetish anyway. And orders were orders, she had to play nice as long as she was in Jormun under his ‘command’ and occupied with her mission.

"Rise," Makara ordered calmly and continued her way without another word.

"W-where are we going Milady?" The acolyte wasn't sure if it was the best idea to follow this woman, but he had little choice.

They walked through a very narrow hallway, it led to an enforced wooden door.

A malicious smile formed itself on her face, "To a very special room where I keep some of my personal prisoners when I ask them questions. There I will show you something worth your while, but tell me first, will Vyndrak force you to attack this human city?"

The tall man shook his head, "Ponyville? No, Lord Vyndrak said to me that I should stay here, because I lack the training of the other acolytes. Why do you wish to know that Milady?"

She looked knowingly at him, "Because you won't be able to save your family when you are dead." He gulped heavily at the nonchalant tone, "And I have the hunch that Vyndrak takes more on than he can chew. Stay here in Jormun and await the results of the upcoming battle. I don't plan to run into unnecessary trouble just because this fool's pride is hurt."

"What do you mean, Milady? Didn't Lord Vyndrak ask you for your assistance?" The acolyte was confused. He knew that she could refuse, but thought that the beast tamer would still support the commander of Jormun during the invasion.

Makara rolled her eyes, "He did, but I declined, because I don't want anything to do with his personal vendetta. He wants to hunt down that troll shaman, the ones responsible for the destruction of the Soul Prisons and these high school students. Vyndrak blames them all for his failure." She chuckled mockingly, "I even heard that our superiors were more than displeased with how he tried to handle the little human town. An open attack was never planned because of our weak presence in this country at this moment, but our hand is forced, now that the humans know he controlled them. I only would have helped him if it would have been my next task, but my sole purpose in this area was to collect souls." The Dark Elf glanced warningly at him, "You should heed my advice and abandon Vyndrak, he will destroy himself and you wouldn't want to be caught in the crossfire when that happens."

Filthy Rich felt conflicted. The punisher was never an approachable man and a sadist through and through. A salesman's nightmare to be precise. On the other side of the coin loyalty was always one of his proudest virtues. No matter how hard his life was he always remained loyal to his employers and later to his employees. So It felt wrong for him to even think about open betrayal, "I will think about it. But what will you do in the meantime Milady? Will you return to Gram'Bhen? Or hunt for more sacrifices?"

The dark beauty put her hand on the doors to deactivate the protection spells she placed upon it to gain entrance. "We are here. The answer to your question is behind this door. Always remember Acolyte Rich: 'Knowledge is power'. A single secret can contain a truth to destroy relationships, the potential to ruin kingdoms, the force to erase countries from the map or the impact to change the fate of this very world."

A cryptic silence reigned over the duo. Her statement confused Filthy Rich to such a degree that he nearly missed it when she moved to enter the elf's private torture chamber... the interior was much cleaner than the tall man expected.

There were big cages, tables and chairs to ‘talk’ with the victims, but there was no blood on the walls, nor on the floor. Many or less questionable tools were prepared and ready to be used, completely bare of blood. Of course that didn't mean that the room wasn't occupied in the moment.

"Surprised? I'm sorry to disappoint you in case you were expecting a with gore filled room, but I value a clean work ethic. These three humans here represent my newest project," Makara saw the glint of sympathy in the salesman's eyes, "How precious. Do you know them?"

The question was only of rhetorical nature, but Filthy Rich's focus was elsewhere, specifically the victims in front of him.

Three people were staring at the duo and great fear and confusion, clearly a family if their body language could be trusted. One young adult, maybe barely in his earliest twenties was strapped to a metal chair, his body full of bruises, cuts and barely conscious, the left earlobe was missing. A clean and precise cut. Two middle-aged adults, a man and a woman, were imprisoned in a nearby cage. Their clothes were dirty and ragged, the mother-figure looked like she cried a lot in the last time, she trembled terribly. The father had a clear will of survival in his eyes, not necessarily for himself, but his beloved.

And why had his hair the form of a light pink cream topping?

The imprisoned father spoke with a clear undertone of desperation, but fury was the normally soft spoken father's current emotional state, "W-what do you want to know now?! He can't tell you anymore! Let our son go! I will take Zephyr's place instead!"

"P-please honey, d-don't anger her," Mrs. Shy begged her husband, tearfully.

"Why are they here?" Filthy whispered quietly, but the Dark Elf heard him.

"Those three, or should I say, that brave and foolishly heroic boy here told me secrets of great interest. It is always adorable how courageous they are, at first. You see, I need my sources of information well and alive. A crippling torture could scar their mind so much that their brains might shut off and only shambles remain. And that just wouldn't do. Most humans luckily surrender in the moment I tell them in small details what I will do to them, should they refuse to cooperate," Makara explained patiently.

"And I guess this young man's wounds tell another story?" The salesman enquired neutrally, trying to ignore the crawling feeling of sympathy.

He couldn't deny that his new demonic side had its advantages. You could keep your emotions and countenance much better at bay and nobody was the wiser.

"What gave it away? The missing earlobe? But joking aside, you are right. He was quite stubborn for someone his age, I have to admit. Normally my toys cower in front of me, but he tried to resist to protect his bigger sister. You could say I'm dying to meet her in person, if what he said is true." She gently patted the teenager's cheek, "Wake up my dear. We have a guest and it is rude to sleep when someone is talking to you."

Mr.- and Mrs. Shy frowned strongly.

"No Rainbow, not now... the Breeze needs his zeeze..." Zephyr Breeze mumbled under his breath.

Makara didn't say another word and simply took a with very sharp fingertips mounted bronze colored glove from the little salver besides Fluttershy's older brother and put it onto her hand. Suddenly she sliced with her pointer over his right thigh like it was butter and blood soaked his already torn jeans.

Screams of pain followed in an instant.

"So that's how Lady Makara caused these fine cuts," Filthy thought in morbid curiosity. He wasn't sure if it was concerning or not that he felt less and less repulsed by such scenes.

"AHHHHHHHHHH! What have I done to you?! I can't tell you anything else, I swear!" the slightly crying young man shouted in fear.

Zephyr tried his best to keep everything he knew a secret regarding his sister and her friends. Of course Rainbow Dash counted on him that he would keep quiet, but even the strongest man wouldn't be able to withstand the cruelty of this insane woman in front of him.

"Oh, I believe you, I just wanted your undivided attention," she replied happily.

After all the pain he suffered he knew better than to question her, the younger sibling had only one word on his lips, "W-why?"

"To show our newest acolyte that knowledge is a weapon and how you may use it to your advantage. Be grateful that it is just me, I know a certain warlock who would take great pleasure in torturing you and your family." Her tone was warningly, "Now, let us talk about your sister."

"Fluttershy and her friends will stop you!" Zephyr answered hotly. He cursed himself after he noticed what he said.

"Zephyr Breeze!" Mrs. Shy exclaimed in panic and looked panicky at the elf, "P-please forgive him Lady Makara! He just said something without thinking in the heat of the moment. My son is very protective of our daughter, please have mercy!"

Filthy Rich recognized this name, "Fluttershy?" he asked, dumbfounded.

Now it was the Dark Elf who looked questioningly at him, "You know this girl?"

"Yes, well, not directly Milady. You see, she was one of seven teenagers who helped Gloriosa Daisy and her brother, the former camp directors, to save Camp Everfree for the time being with the idea of a fundraiser to buy them more time. She... introduced me to during the festivities to shove it into my face that I was outsmarted by high school students. Not that it helped them much in the end," Filthy Rich expounded apathetically.

Makara knew what he meant, rumors circulated in Jormun about what Vyndrak did to the former owners of this patch of formerly green land before she arrived here. He loved to play with his victims.

"Interesting..." The dark beauty glanced thoughtfully at the three family members, "And I think I know where these girls might be. I received a report about a close encounter between two scouts and an Emerald Elf and that there were a lot of humans on the fields. They swore that most of them were of young age. Perhaps they are hiding there, but the fact remains that we have nobody to spare to confront them in the moment."

"Lady Makara, do you really believe that these children will pose a threat? I'm sure you can restrict them on your own or send me with a few demons to handle the situation. My last meeting with them ended with... unsatisfactorily results," the salesman argued with a winning smile.

She rolled her eyes, "Don't be foolish. Overconfidence is the first step to your own downfall and I plan to continue living. Maybe I can attack them with the help of my pets, but the possibility that I will run into trouble is much too big, and so would you. The scouts saw walls made of earth around the area before they had to flee and last time I checked such constructions don't grow out of nowhere. No, I'm certain a mage is responsible for this. Maybe it was this shaman Vyndrak wants. I have to play it clever to reach my goal and I know exactly how I may achieve that."

The Shys looked nervously at each other, the woman's gaze in their direction boded ill for them, "But let us talk about the topic I came for." Her eyes were on Zephyr, "Your sister and her friends are able to wield magic I never heard of before. It sounds to me like emotions and an invisible bond of magic connect them somehow on a higher level, what gives them the ability to use that ridiculous sounding 'Rainbow Powers'. But I learned a long time ago that even the most questionable rumor can have an element of truth and I would like to verify everything for myself. That is where you all come in."

"I-I won't help you with hurting my sister! You hear me?!" the younger sibling swore defyingly.

The Dark Elf raised an eyebrow in amusement, "How cute. But I think-" she cut his other thigh, slowly. Zephyr did his best to keep his tears at bay, but failed miserably in the end. "-we both know how this will all end."

"Zephyr!" his parents shouted in panic.

"What is your plan, Milady?" Filthy Rich enquired carefully.

"As I said, knowledge is power. We know that these girls have unknown magic at their disposal, we just don't know where they got it from. Second, we know that our dear guests here are the family of one member of their group, we can use that to our advantage. If I'm right they are only aware of our presence in the Everfree Forest, but nothing else, not about our order's structure, nor our abilities and possibilities. If they expect it the least we will spring the trap. And every good trap needs bait." She winked at her youngest prisoner.

Zephyr Breeze gulped heavily.

"As you wish, Lady Makara," Filthy acknowledged loyally.

"Well, that was a bust." Rainbow Dash said in boredom.

"What do you mean?" Shining Armor enquired in confusion.

After Fire Streak led them a little around Ponyville to show them the more important localities of the city and places they should avoid at all costs he brought them to their location for the night. A more expensive, but cozy inn with the strange name: ‘The Prancing Pony’ of all things.

Celestia, Luna, Igneous Rock, Cheerilee, Shining Armor and Rainbow Dash received three rooms per two persons. Cheerilee and Rainbow Dash got one, the siblings and the only two men of the group.

Later they parted ways to look around and to search for useful informations concerning the citizens' opinion about magic to get a clearer picture where most would stand in the case they had to reveal themselves. Now it was late in the evening and all six met on the lower level of the inn, they were sitting at a big ebony colored wooden table in a more separated area to talk privately.

"I mean that more people reacted aggressively than positively when I asked them! I mean I can completely understand that after everything what happened with those fire elementals and the warlocks that they are fed up with everything, but come on! We actually saved people with magic and nearly nobody outside of the former circle of CHS students is able to see past these bad experiences," the chromatic girl complained.

"Sadly there is nothing we can do about it Ms. Dash. Many lost everything dear to them because of magic-related events and Prismia and Justice aren't helping with their agenda. Typical populists, always abusing the fear and worries of the people to their advantage without a shame," Luna replied fumingly.

"I wonder if Lightning Blaze found anything interesting concerning this woman," Cheerilee mused in interest.

"I hope thou are right Ms. Cheerilee. Ms. Prismia seems to hide secrets of importance," Igneous Rock agreed stoically.

"Well, when Lightning finds something he will tell us immediately and the mayor and Spitfire will order her arrest. No problem," Rainbow said without a doubt.

The lunar knight looked at her sibling, "Sister, you didn't say anything until now. What is wrong? Did your charme lose its effect in your older days and nobody listened to you?" Luna asked teasingly.

Celestia blushed at the other woman's words, but her eyes softened. Oh how everything had changed. Before Camp Everfree she would never have accepted it that her sister teased her like that in front of their colleagues, students or their parents. And Luna would never have done that in public in the first place, because they had to demand respect for their positions as principals. But now... things were fundamentally different and a good laugh was always appreciated in these uncertain times.

"I don't know how things went on your end, but I found out that Ponyville has a few citizens who are still undecided if they are for or against magic, some even spoke positively about it and what advantages its use could have for the community. I met even three of our former students. Ms. Photo Finish and her two friends, Violet Blurr and Pixel Pizzaz, you know about who I am talking about, right?"

Luna snorted, "How could I forget those three of all people? They made every single picture of every important event at CHS since they came to the school at a younger age."

The Solar Magic user nodded with a small grin, "Yes, they did. Photo Finish sent the mayor a request that they want to open Ponyville's first big photo shop."

Cheerilee smiled fondly, "It is good to hear that some of our former students survived Canterlot and still want to pursue their dreams in life, despite what happened in the past." Her expression turned sour, "And still so many young lives lost. I met Baton Switch, the former leader of CHS' marching band. She told me that the fire elementals attacked the school during one of their rehearsals. Luckily she could escape, but she has no idea what happened to the rest."

"I think I had the hardest job. I wanted to convince my fellow Crystal Prepers that magic would be a good thing as an well-known and respected alumni, but I received only unsure faces, half-hearted words of encouragement and two clear rejections," Shining Armor added his own experiences in a dry tone.

"Rejections?" Rainbow enquired in confusion.

Twilight's older brother groaned in mental exhaustion, "Yes, Jet Set and Suri Polomare. The thing with Jet Set is that he and Upper Crust, another student of CPA, were together and really loved each other. He had to watch how Upper Crust burned to death during the attack and he could do nothing to help her. Jet is livid and blames magic for everything. That is the reason why he supports Justice. And Suri... is more personal."

Everybody at the table had an expression of sympathy or sadness in response. Then interest.

"What do you mean with 'more'? What could be more personal than losing your girlfriend?" the sky blue teenager stated after a few seconds.

Shining Armor gave his sister's friend a questioning look, "I mean for our group itself. Didn't Rarity tell you about the last big fashion contest she participated in?"

Rainbow Dash leaned back in her chair with crossed arms and stared thoughtfully at the ceiling, "Contest... contest... I think? Maybe? Sorry, I don't really try to remember every of Rarity's boring fru-fru episodes. Why? What happened there?"

The former police officer rubbed his nose at the girl's memory, "I can't believe it either, but I think it's jealousy. Suri and Rarity participated both in the National Fashion Junior Contest in Manehatten and she said her assistant, some Coco Pommel, betrayed her and helped Rarity instead with her designs, so that your friend won the contest."

Recognition appeared in Rainbow's face, and anger, "Now I know what you mean, I think it happened shortly after the Fall Formal. And as if Rarity would need help to beat this wannabe-fashionista! She tried to steal Rarity's ideas and acted like they were hers! Coco refused to continue working for this girl any longer and told the judges everything about it. Suri was banned from participating for the next three years at any other fashion contest as a consequence and Rarity was declared the winner."

Shining shook his head in disappointment, "Yeah, I wouldn't put it past her to try something like that to win. Her other point is that she is convinced that Justice is right and magic itself is responsible for everything bad that happened, or more-" he nodded his head in the direction of the former staff and student of CHS, "-you."

"What? Is she serious?" Luna asked in annoyance.

Silence ruled the table when Celestia pointed subtly at the approaching waiter. He brought them new drinks, asked them for food and left after they declined fastly to continue their conversation in peace and quiet.

The former alumni sighed, "Yeah, I know. She was there during the Friendship Games and saw how Twily, well, kind of lost it. And after she saw that Rarity could use magic, too? Suri blamed CHS ever since for what happened during the games. But I think she is not only angry about the contest, but that Rarity can already use magic and she doesn't. It makes her jealous. After rumors about sightings of mages in and around the country came up Suri told me that she always dreamed secretly about becoming a magician herself."

"Seriously? So she tells other people that magic is evil just to spite us? Or more specifically, Rarity?" Cheerilee said in disbelief.

"Eeyup," Shining imitated his new friend Big Mac.

"There you are!" They turned around and saw how Spitfire and Lightning Streak approached their table.

"Captain Spitfire! Senior Airman Lightning Streak! What circumstances do we own the pleasure of meeting you here?" Celestia questioned warmly with a kind smile.

The Wonderbolts waved their hands shortly in response.

"Good evening Princi-Ms. Celestia. I wanted to know what your first impressions are from Ponyville after your little group had the whole day to learn about the town and its citizens. And to inform you that I sent Soarin and Fleetfoot to Cloudsdale to tell Colonel Wind Rider about our newest state of information. With a little luck, and I hope the colonel will see the importance of this mission, he will send more troops to help defending Ponyville from the upcoming attack. I still don't like sending the soldiers under me into their potential end, but Cloudsdale will be next if the Adepts of Khom succeed," Spitfire explained analytically.

"Sweet! These devil worshippers will get a trashing they'll never forget!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed enthusiastically, already excited to see the Wonderbolts in action.

"Calm down. We have to wait what our superior says, the captain can't simply order our forces around without his approval," Lightning replied with a chuckle.

Pinkie's father stroke his beard in thoughts, "Mr. Streak, did thou discover any information of interest concerning Ms. Prismia?"

The Wonderbolt blushed in great embarrassment and cowered a little under his captain's judging glare, "Hehe. I'm not proud to admit that, but I fear I fell asleep after I saw for the felt hundredth time this day how she did nothing else than the most mundane and boring things you could imagine. You wouldn't believe how long she was in that one clothes shop or how slow she drank her cup of tea at the cafe. That must have been a record. The last thing I can remember is following her into the park for a while and I woke up there not even an hour ago."

Spitfire snorted in distaste, "We will talk about your lack of discipline later, Lightning." She eyed her former principals, "Captain Iron Will found him snoring behind a few trees and brought him to me. But I think we can safely say that the leader of Justice isn't up to something bad, at least not yet."

"What is when she somehow knew that Lightning was following her and did all these boring things on purpose? Or why won't you spy on her for a little longer? It's not that late," Rainbow Dash asked suspiciously.

The young captain rolled her eyes, "You heard Mayor Mare, Dash. Ms. Prismia has still her constitution given rights and they won't be taken away on the basis of mere assumptions. Believe me, I don't like her at all, but we can't spy on everybody who doesn't act like we desire."

"And it's impossible that she knew I was there. I was always very careful and only followed her in such ways that I never left footprints, nor did I make loud noises," Lightning Blaze added faithfully.

The chromatic teenager sighed in defeat. Somehow that felt much too easy and her gut was warning her from this woman since the first moment they met. For once in her life Rainbow hoped her gut was wrong.

Gram'Bhen, the crosspoint between Outpost Jormun and their newest destination, the Dark Archives, was as busy as he remembered from his short visit the last time. Filthy Rich had little time to go on a sightseeing trip and so he didn't know much about this place, maybe his mistress was in the mood to answer some of his questions.

"Milady, excuse my curiosity, but that is the second time I visit this place and I wonder though, where are we exactly? It is clear to me that we are no longer in the USA, but I can't remember that there was a country whose inhabitants are... dwarves? Perhaps? And what does 'Gram'Bhen' even mean?"

In fact It looked like a small city, and it was hot. He wondered who owned this place before the Adepts of Khom took over, the inhabitants were all dwarves, not much smaller than the average human, but a little sturdier built, all muscles. At least the males, the female dwarves looked a little pudgy, but he was sure that only a fool would underestimate them.

They went after their own businesses like it was completely normal that the warlocks were here. A filled marketplace, an easy-going atmosphere, it felt somehow wrong to him that, after everything he witnessed from his order, such a place existed under their control.

The Dark Elf, who wore now a black veil to protect her sensitive eyes from the sun, continued walking and answered in a casual tone like it was common knowledge these days, "We are in Oriom, as you already mentioned, the land of dwarves. Formerly known as Neighico. The local government lost all control after the Great Change happened and the country split up in by so called 'thanes' controlled areas. We seized the opportunity to take over this city and established our rule. Concerning the name, well, the dwarves renamed all their places to fit their new language, Irom."

He would have guessed that the citizens were all enslaved, just waiting to be sacrificed.

Makara chuckled at the stunned expression of the acolyte, "I know it is hard to believe, but we don't live from air and souls, but food and water as every other mortal, if you are not a true demon that is. We do have functioning economy systems, otherwise we wouldn't last long. And sacrificing the very people who can provide you with food and shelter is counterproductive, don't you think?"

"And the dwarves just accepted it that our order came here? Is there no war? No civil unrest?" The salesman wasn't sure what to think of such peaceful environment.

"Oh please, the five ‘Big Families’ are right now in a civil war with each other and completely lost interest in the outer regions of their country. All with the goal to crown their own thane the Paragon, their version of a king, of all dwarves and ruler of Oriom. When we first planned to establish our presence here a warlord ruled this city without mercy and his goons took everything as they desired. A small force of ignited crusaders was everything we needed to destroy him. Ever since the dwarves are working for us on their own volition. We don't sacrifice their souls and they work for us in gratitude for liberating them. Life can be very easy," the beast tamer explained smugly.

They walked a little through Gram'Bhen and Filthy Rich was impressed from what he saw, now that he had actually the time to admire the unique architecture of a new culture. All buildings looked like they were built into the ground or were a part of it, smooth surfaces, perfectly sturdy looking constructions, made of stone.

"Astonishing, isn't it?" Makara asked suddenly.

"W-what?" Was all he could manage to say after his thoughts were interrupted.

"The dwarves seem to have the ability to form the earth after their will, geomancy at its finest. Look," she pointed to their right.

Filthy Rich's eyes widened at the sight in front of him. Four dwarves stood inertly around a giant rock with closed eyes, only the hands and fingers moved. They were glowing in a white outline through forces unknown to the family father. Cut for cut, invisible to the naked eye, but looking as treated by the finest blades, took the once proud rock the desired form.

"Come, we have no time to waste. My master awaits us and I'm sure Vyndrak will be wondering soon where we are," the Dark Elf urged and walked away.

That brought the man back to their task at hand and he followed anew, "Lady Makara, it is an honor that you give me the chance to come with you. But where and what are these ‘Dark Archives’?"

"They are at the outskirts of Gram'Bhen, beyond the local laboratories. A place of collected knowledge, imagine it like a library. There is someone I have to meet and I think you should meet him as well," she said mysteriously.

The archives were a clearly a product of dwarf architecture, Filthy Rich was sure of it. Already the frontage was a picture of finest marmor work, the building three stories tall and occupying an area of at least 100m². But library wasn't what he had in mind when seeing this building, it was more a fortress.

Thick white walls were reaching deep into the underground, if the other buildings were anything to go by, with a lot of long, oval shaped black tinted windows, small pillars upon the top and an entrance, guarded by soldiers he never saw before. Alone their appearance made him more than nervous.

They wore demon skull-like helmets, with thorns around the top like a crown, obsidian black plate armor with glowing ice blue runes upon the chest and a cloak that seemed like made of the deepest darkness. Their eyes were glowing in an unholy shade of crimson. They had two at least one meter long, jagged scythes on their backs in crossed position.

"W-who are they?" the acolyte asked fearfully.

Makara gave him a mocking smile of sympathy, "Are you scared, acolyte? These are Black Knights, if you remember, one of our stronger forces." She waved the guards, "Good afternoon, gentlemen. We are here to see the master."

One of the knights spoke in an echoing voice that gave the salesman a shiver down his spine, "Ah, Lady Makara, our Lord informed us about your arrival and your... " he gave Filthy a silent stare, what didn't help the man's nerves, "... guest. You may enter."

After they entered the with tilework covered floor, which showed a picture of different demons every now and then, the intimidated family father found his voice again, "Milady, who is this master you want to see? I'm truly honored that you think I'm worthy of meeting a high ranked member of our order, but I can't say I'm not nervous about the upcoming encounter."

"Don't think too much about your fears and focus instead on the opportunity of your lifetime," Makara admonished gently. It annoyed her when a person cowered too much.

"Opportunity?" he enquired in confusion.

She rolled her eyes at the man's lack of vision in the moment, "Indeed. Did you know that every member of the Adepts of Khom can choose one of the six council members as a master they want to follow? You can guess now what kind of 'high ranking member', I believe you said, we are going to meet."

Those were everything else than good news. Filthy Rich prided himself with making business with even the most influential people on Earth, but the prospect of meeting someone of the Dark Council, especially after what he heard about the Grandmaster, wasn't something he looked forward to.

To both sides were many rooms filled with bookshelves, containing big amounts of knowledge, he glanced at the bigger written titles and had to admit that he couldn't read many of them. Another thought entered his mind when he saw all the paintings and statues surrounding them, "How can this building exist already? I thought the new races didn't exist any longer than maybe three months?"

The beast tamer wanted to tell him to be quiet, all his questions were tiring, but she decided to humor him. Normally it was her who asked the questions, not the other way around. They were almost there anyway, "You saw what only four dwarves did to that boulder on the market place. Now imagine what a whole city of grateful dwarves could achieve. They made the archives on our request in two months time. Much more effective than humans ever could have been with their machines in my opinion."

In front of a big door stood with crossed arms two beings who looked more like demons than mortals. Over two meter tall, a mountain-like stature, sharp teeth and unforgiving amber colored blazing eyes greeted them. They had a pale grey skin, long flowing black hair, sharp pointed ears, wore a uniform made of ice blue bandages around the hands and arms and iron colored, tight, leather armor around the rest of their bodies, little blood red skulls made up the belt and two big black demonic wings rested upon their backs.

"Nemeses..." the elf mumbled in, what Filthy heard for the first time since he met her, fear.

"W-what?!" He whispered frantically. "The elite-"

"Quiet!" she demanded forcefully. "Just be quiet and ignore them. They know that the master awaits us."

The duo stopped as they reached their destination and Makara was all business with the nervous looking acolyte. Maybe to convince the two silently watching guards, "We are here. Beyond this door is my master, one of the highest servants of Lord Khom. Remember to be respectful, don't ask him questions without his permission and be quiet if not spoken to directly. Understood?"

"O-of course Lady Makara," Filthy promised.

The two vampire-like demons chuckled sadistically before they entered.

The interior of the room was not so palatial, or dark, as he thought it would be, a lot of green candles illuminated the spacious chamber with their dark green flames. Books and a giant, out of magic made, flying globe filled most of the room, like a projection. At a giant table upon a kingly looking wooden chair, sat a man whose presence alone demanded respect, but at the same time an aura of calmness surrounded him.

Filthy Rich couldn't describe it, but it felt like Lady Makara's master was old, very old, and only looked like a young human. He was a very tall and well-built man, maybe taller than the nemeses at the door. Dark grayish voluminous sideburns and hair, light brownish gray skin and grayish red bat-like wings upon his back were visible. The most prominent features were however his luminous vivid apple green eyes. They contained wisdom, knowledge and the promise of a better future. On his back was a long staff made of a to the salesman unknown ore, the color was a moderate gold and at the tip sat a gleaming ruby. All he wore was a white toga with black tunic beneath it.

A soothing aged, with a demonic echo accentuated, voice left the council member's vocal cords, "Ah, Beast Tamer Makara, I wondered when you would appear. And I see you brought our guest, please take a seat." He gestured to the two smaller chairs in front of him, "We have much to discuss."

The dark beauty kneeled reverently in front of her master, "Of course, Lord Scorpan." Filthy Rich did the same immediately.

"I heard a lot of positive things about you, young man. Makara's reports concerning our newest campaign in the USA are promising, as well as interesting. I dare say, world-changing, when we ignore the punisher's stupidity of informing Ponyville about our presence," Scorpan started the conversation.

"T-thank you for your gracious words, Milord. I'am a mere acolyte in our order and not worthy of such praise," the salesman stated less confident than he liked.

"Don't be so modest Mr. Rich, you were one of the most successful business leaders of the old age. That is not an easy feat," he glanced at the silent elf, "Beast Tamer, your reports stated that an unknown form of magic could be found in a cave near Jormun, please explain it in greater details."

She nodded respectfully, "Yes, two of our scouts found a strange form of magic in a cave near our new outpost. They couldn't enter it, it was like a powerful force prevented them from entering. I investigated it myself and found out that a crystalline tree stump was the origin of this particular energy. It felt like it tried to punish me for something. Maybe it doesn't accept Demon Magic in its surroundings."

"Truly interesting, I would have liked to see this mysterious offspring for myself, but sadly you informed me that Commander Vyndrak attacked it and destroyed the cave's entrance in progress," the member of the Dark Council said in disappointment.

Makara growled angrily, "This short-sighted fool always acts on his instincts. But the reason I wanted to meet you personally is that our newest acolyte here met a group of seven human girls who are capable of magic that doesn't seem to be from around here, maybe not even this world, and I could confirm that their source of power seems to be of questionable origin."

If Lord Scorpan was surprised, he didn't show it, "Oh? Please enlighten me, Beast tamer."

"I managed to capture a family between the ruins of Canterlot City and Cloudsdale. The parents didn't have any useful information, but the son told me a lot of stories about his big sister, after I talked with him. A girl named Fluttershy, she is one of the already mentioned seven teenagers. It seems they defeated a demon, real living sirens in human form and a by magic corrupted girl who nearly destroyed the world all on their own. Every time they won with the help of a, and I know that sounds ridiculous, magic those girls call: 'The Magic of Friendship'. A giant rainbow colored beam of energy they can call upon if the situation deems it necessary," the elf explained cringingly.

"I see," Scorpan looked expectantly at Filthy Rich, "You met the girls in person, Acolyte Rich. Do you have something important to add?"

Filthy thought about his words carefully, he didn't want to waste his lord's time, "Yes, Lord Scorpan. First I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me and ignored what I saw, but now I have to admit that it was most-likely real." He sighed, "Before Lord Vyndrak approached me and took over I wanted to buy the land to build my own Spa Resort in Camp Everfree's place for paying customers who appreciated the tranquility of nature. But then I was told that a group of Canterlot High School students, who chose Camp Everfree as their summer camp to that time, came up with an idea to stop me for the time-being. Under the leadership of said teenagers. A fundraiser took place there and I was, just to spite me, invited to the festivities and saw all seven. They call themselves 'The Rainbooms' and transformed during a concert they gave."

Scorpan nodded in understanding, "Please go on."

"I still don't know if that was real or not, but animal ears, I think horse or pony ears, appeared out of nowhere on their heads. They all developed strange hair extensions, which looked like ponytails and three of them even grew wings. But not some normal wings for humans their size, but very small wings, like a medium-sized bird. The blue one of them could even fly around without a problem, but it shouldn't have been possible with wings of that size. That is everything I know about them, Milord," Filthy ended his tale truthfully.

Scorpan stood up and showed the duo how impressive his whole body language could be, walking behind his chair with crossed arms behind his back to think about the newest informations he received, "As you may know, acolyte, every of the Dark Council's members wears a title fitting his role in the Adepts of Khom. I am known as Scorpan, Keeper of Knowledge. My task is it to preserve the knowledge and history of old so that we may learn from it and to discover new knowledge, especially in relation to magic. And this special form of... 'friendship' using magic is nothing I encountered before in our world. Granted, the day of the Dawn of Magic happened only recently, new discoveries on a daily basis are to be expected. Nevertheless, this particular information is promising." He looked at Makara, "Do you have a plan how we may find out more about it?"

The Dark Elf bowed shortly, a gleeful smile graced her features, "Yes, Lord Scorpan. I thought about using the mentioned family as bait to catch their daughter. I'm sure she will respond accordingly with the right temptation."

"Good. You may go now and wait for our guest outside. There are things I wish to discuss with Mr. Rich in private," the giant of a man ordered, looking out of the window.

"Master." She bowed a second time, this time deeper, and left the room.

After a for Filthy Rich much too long pregnant silence, Scorpan asked softly out of nowhere, "Do you think we do the right thing to serve this world, acolyte?"

"M-Milord?" The businessman didn't know what to say.

The member of the Dark Council turned around, a new emotion showed itself in his eyes, regret, "Nothing. A old man's wishful thinking. But please tell me, do you think it is right to summon Lord Khom into this world?"

The bluntness of the question, from a council member no less, shocked Filthy Rich, "I-I don't think I'm qualified enough to judge the order's actions, Milord. If I may ask, why?"

Scorpan sighed fatefully, "Because I wanted to hear a fresh opinion of a young mind, because I fear that we may need the demons and Lord Khom to fight what is to come, but I'm not entirely sure if our goals justify the means. Do you know something about an ancient Greek religion called: 'The Scions of the Elementals'?

The half-demon shook his head, "No, I'm sorry. Who were they?"

The powerful warlock chuckled darkly, "Not 'were', Acolyte Rich, are. If a human is asked which elements he would count to the elements of nature, then the answer is always the same. Fire, water, air, earth. But the reality is much more complex, there is fire, water, air, earth... and thunder. Every element has elementals related to it, entities of nature itself. There are elementals which are neutral to us, some are friendly, but there are enough who only feel hostility. And I don't speak about the humans themselves, but mortals in general. The Scions are the loyal servants of the Elemental Lords and my family was the Scions' archenemy since the very beginning. We always opposed their masters."

"I don't think I understand. What is their goal?" the acolyte asked unsurely.

Scorpan shook his head in resignation, "To be honest? Sadly this part of information went lost in the sands of time, but we do know that we have to stop them. No matter the costs. Knowledge is power, Mr. Rich. Damnation Seeker Khom appeared in the council members' minds in the form of a warning a few months ago. A warning that a being who was once banished into the core of our world would escape and herald the start of a new era. An era of magic. And that the elementals would follow this entity."

Filthy turned a few shades paler, "So that is the reason why the order's final goal is it to summon Lord Khom? W-well, my only problem is, eventually, please don't misunderstand me-"

Scorpan nodded calmly in understanding, "The title? Yes, but I ask you. Damnation Seeker is a title the demons give their highest lords in a militaristic way, but whose damnation do they seek? This is an answer nobody knows except the Royal Demons, what their actual rank in demon society is, themselves. How would you plan to fight the Elemental Lords? A mere mortal alone could never challenge them. No, Lord Khom is our only hope of stopping the elementals. Sacrifices are a sad reality, but something that needs to be done. Sometimes it needs monsters to fight other monsters." He sat himself on his seat again.

"I think I understand what you mean, Milord." The acolyte gulped nervously, remembering Makara's words, but he needed to know, "Lord Scorpan, Lady Makara told me a lot about our order's structure, but I have one last question concerning it."

The member of the Dark Council could only smile at the expression of Filthy Rich, "Don't worry. I can only speak for myself, but everybody who works under me receives a fair treatment. I demand dedication, discipline and loyalty, but I won't smite you where you stand for a simple question."

The newest member of the Adepts of Khom bowed gratefully, "Thank you Milord. My question is related to the Dark Council. I know that you are known as Scorpan, the Keeper of Knowledge. Lady Makara told me about Lord Ferill, the Grand Master, who is responsible for all scientific projects. But who are the other four council members? If you want to answer, of course."

Scorpan’s smile disappeared, but before Filthy Rich feared he signed his death sentence, the man answered in a neutral tone, "There are four more members in the council. The first one is Grogar, the Lord Necromancer. He thinks that the dead should fight where the living meet their mortal boundaries and he searches for methods to use the soul as a weapon. His field is similar to Ferill, but where he is interested in literally everything, Grogar is only looking for the, as he calls it, 'secret of life and death'. Then there is Anazynthia Dawnseeker, the... what is wrong, Acolyte RIch?"

The man in question shook his head to overcome his immense surprise, "Forgive me Lord Scorpan. It is just that I met once an Emerald Elf with the name 'Luviel Dawnseeker' and I didn't expect to hear that one of the council's member has the same surname. Especially after Ms. Dawnseeker made it very clear that she hated the Adepts of Khom with a passion."

"They are twins, but their story is not mine to tell. I advice you to let it rest. She is very sensitive when it comes to her sister. But to further answer your question, she is called Anazynthia, Queen of Beasts. Her skill in manipulating and controlling demons is unmatched. The fifth member is Hurricane, Gladiator of Tartarus, leader of our military. You have to know that judged souls indeed land in Tartarus or Elysium after death. The Royal Demons made it a project of entertainment for their kind to let the forsaken souls of mankind fight with each other in colosseums. Whoever wins 500 battles in a row and defeats an Ancient Demon afterwards, the third strongest kind of demon in Tartarus, would get granted a wish. Of course such a feat should be impossible for any human, but Hurricane succeeded where everybody else failed and afterwards he wished that he could serve Lord Khom. We don't know why he want to do it, but now he returned to Terra as a half demon and serves as one of the Damnation Seeker's highest servants."

Filthy Rich forgot his politeness after the finished explanation of the latest council member and jumped out of his chair, "The Commander Hurricane?! He was the most famous and strongest general of the ancient Roman Empire! I-I-" His eyes widened in realization, he bowed deeply in embarrassment, "I'm so incredibly sorry for exploding like that, Milord. Normally I'm much more in control of my emotions.”

Scorpan made a gesture with his hand to diffuse the situation, "No harm was done, Acolyte Rich. It is completely understandable that you are shocked by such a revelation. Now let us finish our meeting. The last member of the Dark Council is Tirek, the Great Executioner. He is Lord Khom's second hand in command on Terra concerning our greatest enemies. He is my older brother and you should stay away from him. He has a problem with... acknowledging the members of our order below the mediocre ranks of the Black Knights and sees them as beneath him."

"Thank you very much for answering my question Lord Scorpan. Lady Makara said that I can choose whom of the council I want to serve and I decided. I want to serve you, Milord." He kneeled respectfully.

The warlocks' face turned very serious, he snapped his fingers and the magical globe took the shape of a mirror, "What are you ready to sacrifice to serve us and to save what is dear to you? Answer me, Acolyte."

Filthy Rich looked up and gasped in sheer shock. On the mirror's surface appeared the picture of a middle-aged woman, who ran away from something it seemed, a young girl at her hand.

The founder of the Rich Company would recognize those two everywhere, "Diamond Tiara!" He thought panically, turned his face and looked deeply into his new master's eyes with so much conviction like never before in his entire life, "Everything."

Author's Note

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Sorry that it needed so much time, but I was never satisfied with how I described the Adepts of Khom. Hopefully you liked it. :twilightsheepish:

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 25 - Matter of the Heart

“Where did you get all those jewels again you said?” asked a completely astonished Moondancer. Her mind drifted away, trying to process the amount of riches she just saw.

Sunset, Sunny Flare and Twilight felt the same level of surprise. Though the former Unicorn never questioned the quantity of resources in Equestria. After all she just had to dig at the right spot and it was possible to find as many gems as somepony desired.

But not on Earth!

Zecora gave the quartet a winning smile, “A Diamond Dog den. They were quite cooperative after I gave them something of value for their pack. In exchange they generously gave me what your eyes see right before you.”

This piece of information caught Sunset off guard, she didn’t expect that Diamond Dogs were a thing here, too.

“H-how did you know we needed these in the first place?” Twilight voiced her wonder.

The troll shaman waved her hand in front of the still frozen Moondancer before she replied, “Young Scootaloo told me about your concerns regarding the right materials for your experiments. You should thank the girl when you meet her the next time.”

Sunset switched her attention to her lavender friend, “What does she mean?”

The Arcane Magic user didn’t have a clue at first, then she realized what was going on, “Oh! I met Scootaloo this morning, she asked me if she and her friends could help us somehow. I said that they could only do that if they knew where we might find gemstones of high quality. It was more meant as a half serious joke to be honest.” Twilight chuckled a little in embarrassment.

“I don’t get it. Why gems?” Sunny Flare enquired unsurely.

“That would be my doing. I told her about it yesterday after the group meeting,” informed the now awoken Moondancer before she added, “It’s the reason why I wanted to learn about magic theory first, my Constructor Magic seems to give me the possibility to enchant gems. Well, for now. But I never understood the basic mechanisms behind it, the how. If you would have asked me earlier how it works exactly my answer would have been: ‘It just does’.”

“And now?” Twilight asked in sincere interest.

A big smile formed on Moondancer’s lips, “My mana has special qualities. After I infused it into a gem it interacts with the molecules of said mineral, afterwards it can build special mana matrices if I so desire what gives them the chance to interact with the outside world and-” she looked coyly at Sunset, “-an enchanted gem has a perfect thaumatic balance. It won’t lose its effect as long as the item in question remains undamaged. Or so I think, your runes sounded similar.”

The amber magician smirked, “Glad to know that my teachings rubbed off on you.”

Zecora cleared her throat, “It seems you know how to proceed. In this case I wish you the best of luck,” she said kindly.

The shaman left, her work was done.

Twilight clapped eagerly with her hands, “Ohhh! It will be great, I can feel it!”

“Well, someone is excited,” Sunny stated. She took a nearly plum sized sapphire out of the big bag Zecora brought, “Can you imagine how rich we are now?”

Sunset took a ruby and an emerald for herself, comparing them, “Sorry, but I think they lost a lot of their former value. Their abundance reminds me of Equestria.”

“How come?” Moondancer queried in confusion.

“Magic is not only the essence of all things, but it can function like a growth factor as well. Take for example Earth Ponies, they can literally grow many kinds of stone and even gems like others do it with crop. We call them ‘rock farms’,” the young woman elucidated.

“Wow, how creative,” Midnight added with rolling eyes.

Sunny crossed her arms in thoughts, “It certainly would explain how those ‘Diamond Dogs’, whatever they are, found so many, or in these sizes for that matter. Some of them are bigger than my fist.”

Moondancer looked uncomfortably at the Ice Magic user, “Uhm, I don’t know how to ask otherwise, but I was wondering… why are you even here?” Her eyes widened in panic, “Of course you are welcome here at any time! It’s just that I didn’t expect that somebody wants to watch. It will be very time consuming and probably boring for outsiders.”

The former student of Crystal Prep shrugged it off, “Don’t worry, I take no offense. Granny Smith asked me if I could stay here with you during the experiments, you know, in the case something goes wrong. My magic may be able then to save the barn from ending up as a bonfire.” She glanced shortly at the fire magician under them, who noticed it.

“Seriously?” Sunset said dryly. She felt a tad insulted, but could understand the reasoning behind their decision.

Twilight put an end to further discussions, full in science mode now, “What are we waiting for? Let us begin, it’s already noon.”

All participants agreed.

# Experiment No. 1

Moondancer, under the guidance of Sunset, filled a ruby and a diamond with her mana and was proud of her work, “Alright, first things first. In order to create functioning communication devices our test objects need a nearly equal size and we have to make sure that the gems are as pure as possible. See these impurities?” She pointed at the fine remains of dust and earth compounds around the jewels. “They have to go.”

“Hmm… it’s not like we have a smith here or a good forge to generate enough heat for that matter,” Sunset gave to consider critically. The Unicorn-turned-human needed a few seconds of silence until she realized that all eyes rested on her. She gave her best deadpan expression, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Please, Sunset! I’m certain your flames can generate enough heat to accomplish what we need,” Moondancer begged with puppy dog eyes.

The amber woman sighed in defeat, “Fine. I’ll do it.”

Everybody changed into the from Twilight and Moondancer prepared lab coats and put welding safety goggles on before the Arcane Magic user levitated both gems into the air.

Sunset made good progress, engulfing diamond and ruby with her flames in a controlled manner, but was displeased on the inside, “I can already hear how the princess would reprimand us for using magic for every single step.”

Princess Celestia always tried to teach the students of her own school for gifted Unicorns that it was a gift and a blessing to be able to use magic so freely like Sunset’s tribe did, but at the same time it came with a great responsibility for every magic user.

It reminded her of her earliest studies when she was still taught in classes with other fillies and colts her age.

Or in the Alicorn’s words, “My little Ponies. Not every obstacle in life can simply be solved with magic. Sometimes our mind needs to find another solution. And I know, it would be the easiest option to use it for every problem we may encounter, but the easy way isn’t always the right one. Please remember, Pegasi and Earth Ponies don’t have such luxury either.”

Not that the nobles gave a flying pony feather about her teachings about respect for the power you wielded, or Sunset herself when she was still a bully for that matter.

Moondancer shrieked in shock, “Why are the gems cracking?!”

The redhead reacted first, “Twilight! Toss them away from us!”

So her friend did, screaming in panic herself.

Both objects exploded into pieces and the magic inside caused two mini explosions. It happened mid-air, lucky for them the shards were evaporated by the contained energy.

Sunset gave the Constructor Magic user a long stare until the shock abated, “H-how much magic did you put into them?”

Moondancer shook slowly her head, turning in equal speed around to face her fellow colleagues, “I-I… Oh my gosh! I’m so terribly sorry! I didn’t know that would happen! I just filled the gems with equal amounts of my mana, as you told me Sunset, I swear!”

Twilight gave a slightly forced smile, “I-it’s alright, nobody was hurt. We know you didn’t mean that to happen. But I’m curious, too. How much magic did you use?”

“As much as possible, why? ”Moondancer asked in honest confusion, looking at Sunset for an answer.

The Phoenix Magix user groaned, putting a hand on her face, “I should have told you not to do that. My fault, sorry. But the reason why I asked is fairly easy. Tell me, what happens if you fill a balloon to the brim with air? How much resistance does it have in this state to withstand outer forces?”

An eyebrow was raised at such a ridiculous question, “Absolutely none of course. Already the smallest bit of pressure is enough to let it ex...plode...oh…”

Midnight knew, like always, how to comment the situation after she calmed down from her laughing fit, “That was hilarious! You should have seen your face! Do it again!”

# Experiment No. 2

This time the girls hid behind a self-made wall of old wooden boards, just in case, with observation slits to see what they were doing.

Except Sunset who had to close the distance to accordingly use her phoenix flames. She didn’t like it one bit, “OK, it looks good this time. I think-”

“Achoo!” Twilight’s hands brightened immensely in the moment she sneezed.

The new test objects, an amethyst and a fire opal, flew against the blackboard, causing it to catch fire after the impact released the stored magic.

“I guess that’s my cue!” Sunny Flare shouted in high alarm. She sprinted to the burning remains and froze everything with her abilities before worse damage could be done. A huge smirk adorned her face when she looked at the science trio. “What would you just do without little ol’ me?”

# Experiment No. 7

“Oh come on! Why won’t you work?! I’m sure I calibrated everything right, so why won’t you do anything?! Tell me!” Moondancer demanded frustratedly to know from the defying jewels in front of her.

The malachite and the morganite remained silent.

“I guess they are… unmoved by her accusations,” Midnight commented seriously.

“Seriously? Rock puns?” Twilight enquired with a twitch.

“What’s the matter Sparky? Are you mad that you have such a… rocky start?” her twin replied, now grinning widely.

“Stop it!” The bookworm wasn’t in the mood right now for Midnight’s antics.

“In fact I’m sure that all your test subjects are quite… stoned, if you ask me.” But the dark angel showed no mercy.

“Midnight! Please!” Twilight felt herself cringing.

“I have another one. It’s... hard to tell, but I think you are stuck.” Her cheeks would have started to hurt from all the smiling, if she had any.

“Why are you doing this to me?!” The bookworm never liked puns.

Midnight decided to tell her unofficial sister a little secret, “What can I say? I have to occupy myself somehow. Do you know how boring it is to spend all my time inside your head? The only sources of amusement I get here are your thoughts and dreams, even the naughty ones.”

“W-what?!” Twilight was sure her body paled.

“I mean who would have thought that you are a fan of dirty science-talk?” the carefree teenager asked rhetorically. She had no problems with such topics in opposite to her prude twin. “Wait, stupid question. Still hilarious though.” Midnight’s voice took a very sensual tone, “Oh Timber~! Explore my dirty little receiver to your heart’s content! I want your-”

As expected by Midnight, her ‘better half’ acted quite juvenile about it, “La la la la la la! I can’t hear you! Nope! I don’t hear a thing!”

It was totally worth it for the dark angel, even though she knew that they would have a talk about ‘privacy’ at a later point.

Meanwhile the other three girls, who didn’t know about their friend’s mental breakdown, were talking about how to approach their problem.

“Hmm… did you ever think about using two of the same kind? You know, diamond and diamond, ruby and ruby. Something like that?” Sunset suggested.

Sunny supported the theory with a nod, “She’s right. Maybe each kind of gem reacts differently to your magic. In its own way.”

Moondancer’s face met the wall, painfully hard.

# Experiment No. 15

“All the static noises should be gone now. I’m certain I got the frequencies right this time,” Moondancer assured energetically.

Sunny Flare rubbed one of her ears, “I hope so.”

It was partly worse than a microphone with back coupling what came out of the gems.

Twilight took one spinel, Sunset the other. Both stood five meters apart from each other, waiting for the moment of truth. They were holding their individual gems in front of themselves.

The Constructor Magic user had her clipboard, paper and pencil at the ready, “OK Twily, please turn around and whisper something into your spinal. Only Sunset should be able to hear it over her counterpart.”

Nervous, because she feared her ears could be tormented again, the scholar was extra quiet, “S-Sunset? Can you hear me?”

The amber magician couldn’t believe her ears, “S-Sunset? Can you hear me?”

“It worked! I could hear every word you said without interferences!” the redhead exclaimed joyfully.

The four girls jumped into each other's arms, celebrating.

# Experiment No. 38

It was already late, the end of the day announced itself in form of Sunset’s progressing namesake.

They wanted to make a last test before dinner, aiming for the 45 meter mark. But they were forced to do it at the eastern border to the Everfree Forest, because Applejack forbad them from experimenting on the farm where anything of value could be endangered.

Sunset volunteered and took one of the two sapphires into her hands. She walked a little into the woods until she was out of sight, whereas the rest waited patiently on Sweet Apple Acres.

When Moondancer thought the Phoenix Magic user was far away enough from them she gave the command to start.

Sunset Shimmer never trusted the Everfree Forest in her world. She had to admit, it was a beautiful and mysterious place, but at the same time it was dark, foreboding and promised an inglorious death to everypony who wasn’t on guard.

The human version changed a lot since everything started and did its cousin all honor.

Her gem came to life, “Su-nset, do y-ou co-py?” Twilight’s voice.

Sunset looked down at her device and opened her mouth, trying to respond. But a low growl gave her pause.

She looked up ever so slowly, until she came face to face with a hungry looking timberwolf. The magician chuckled nervously, “Hehe, good… doggie?”

The snarling intensified and the advancing predator showed its wooden chaps, a lot of sharp needle like looking teeth, too.

Sunset sighed heavily in annoyance and stared blankly at the timberwolf, “Buck me…”

“Do you think she can’t hear us? Maybe you reached the limit for today,” Sunny commented neutrally.

Twilight had a thoughtful expression on her face, “Moony, you said that you were able to enhance the signal strength through raising the magic’s density inside the gems, right?”

“Partly. It is not as easy as it sounds. Why?” The scientist wasn’t sure what her friend meant.

Her lavender assistant gave an encouraging smile, “Well, we never tested it out what happens when we mix your magic with something else. Perhaps I could improve the effect by adding my own mana. And you already had to lower the dose for each gem in the last experiments because of all the energy you used. So I could fill out the little space you had to leave empty. What do you think girls?”

Sunny frowned, “I don’t know… are you sure that’s such a good idea?”

Moondancer shrugged with her shoulders, “Honestly? I have no clue what happens if we try it. And when something indeed happens, then you can simply toss it away. Just please, levitate it away from us first.”

“I leave myself the option open to laugh at you as much as I want when that goes south. Just so that you know,” Midnight added helpfully.

“Where is your scientific spirit?! We will never know if we don’t try!” her twin reminded eagerly.

Midnight rolled her eyes, but remained quiet.

At first nothing happened when Twilight infused her own mana into the sapphire. Suddenly the two kinds of energy started to interact with each other, violently.

“Woah! What’s going on in there?!” Sunny shouted in great worry.

“Fascinating! Is one source of mana trying to eliminate the other? Are they trying to fuse? Maybe even attempting to convert each other?” Moondancer took notes like a mad woman, or scientist.

The answer to all their questions came in the form of a bright explosion in the sky. It looked colorful if nothing else.

“Yep, guess that answers it. We should look for Sunset-”

Sunny Flare couldn’t say more, because another explosion, it appeared just much more like a fireball than what happened with their own sapphire, shook the air and illuminated the Everfree Forest.

Where their friend was…

“No… no, no. No! No! NO! NO! What have I done?!” Twilight screamed greatly horrified.

“I have to admit that I had revenge fantasies to get back on Shimmer for defeating me. And now look what you did! Sis, I love you!” Midnight exclaimed dramatically.

“Damnit!” Sunny cursed and ran right where the explosion took place.

“Twily-” Moondancer tried to bring in, but to no avail.

The lavender teenager broke down crying on her knees, “I-I am a m-monster! I-I learned nothing from the Friendship Games!”

“Hey! I take offense to that! I didn’t have dreams about world domination since, well, at least a very long time!” Midnight defended herself.

Twilight ignored her twin, “W-what will our friends think if they find out?!”

Moondancer tried again, “Twilight-”

“What will Cadance and my brother think of me?! Will I be a monster to them?!”

“Seriously, you have to-”

“And what will my parents think?! They will disown me! A monster like me doesn’t deserve any less!”

This time her unofficial conscience had a turn, “Yeah, yeah, sounds kinky Sparky. But your friend is com-”

“Sunset!” Twilight screamed into the heavens. “I’m so sorry! Please forgive me!”

“What in the name of Celestia’s floating tail are you talking about?” asked a very perplexed and very familiar voice.

The Arcane Magic user turned her head to face the source and gaped at the wonder in front of her. Sunset Shimmer was alive and well.

She could only stammer, “B-but you! A-and explosion and f-fire and magic and… and…” Her newly colored face brought even the most delicious apple to shame when realization hit her.

Midnight’s full-blown laughter resonated through Twilight’s mind until they reached the main house.

Never should it be said that science was boring.

“And this concludes our full report, Colonel Wind Rider, sir!” Soarin exclaimed dutifully.

Spitfire sent Misty Fly and him to Cloudsdale to bring their superior officer her report. But he wanted to hear in their own words what transpired since they left for Ponyville and what their thoughts were as well.

Wind Rider rested his chin on his hands, eyes closed to think about everything he just heard and read. After what felt like a minute for them he glanced briefly at the report of the Wonderbolt captain before his focus remained on his two subordinates in front of him.

“I can understand your reservations concerning Justice and its founder. And you are right, they truly sound like a group of fanatics who built their base of power upon the fear of the civilians. But I share the captain’s opinion that we can’t just put them in the deepest, darkest dungeon, only to satisfy our thirst for fairness,” the colonel started with a pained smile.

“B-but sir! Prismia certainly had no qualms to blackmail the mayor to get what she wanted! Even though Senior Airman Lightning Streak didn’t find any evidence that she was planning something sinister right now, that doesn’t mean that she didn’t plan anything at all,” Misty Fly gave to consider, hoping to convince their colonel.

Wind Rider sighed, “Your heart is at the right place soldier, but the world isn’t as simple as you might want it to be. If a banker aims solely to sell something to gain as much provision as possible, instead of having the people’s needs in mind, then you can always judge such behaviour as morally wrong. But on the other side, do you really have the right to forbid others from earning more money to build themselves a better life, just so that you can feel better and your morale code is satisfied? Is your own will above the desires of everybody else? Communism dictates that everybody should be equal and we all know that such systems never endured for long in our long history. Every single person is different and everybody has his own view on how a topic should be approached or definitions of morals and virtues. You have to accept that, like you have to accept that Ms. Prismia behaves questionable at best, but in the end of the day we have to compromise with her in order to create a better future for all.” He looked with a fatherly expression into the eyes of the two younger Wonderbolts. “Do you understand what I am trying to say?”

Soarin looked down, feeling conflicted, but the colonel’s words had an unpleasant ring of truth, “We understand.” The duo saluted respectfully. “Thank you for your time, sir.”

Misty Fly waited until her colleague left the office and looked back at Wind Rider, “Sir? Permission to speak freely?”

He nodded shortly, “Granted, soldier.”

The young woman hoped that the major wouldn’t be angry at her, “Well, we are sending 500 Wonderbolts and 200 recruits of the newly created militia into the fray against the approaching invasion force of the Adepts of Khom, but I was wondering. You looked like you grimly accepted what would come.” He still didn’t like the idea of sending their forces, but the situation had changed drastically for the worse. An attack was about to happen. “But you seemed to be much more disturbed after Soarin told you that these fire elementals were behind the destruction of Canterlot City, why is that? Did you meet them before?”

“Oh, that?” Wind Rider chuckled in faked embarrassment, “I fear even old dogs like me aren’t immune to emotions. I had… family there. And being told that they most likely suffered a cruel death got to me. Excuse this old man’s weakness in front of his subordinates.” He gave her a playful smile. “But you should go now, we can’t let Sergeant Soarin do all the work, can we? Prepare the troops, Ponyville needs our support. And Ms. Fly? Your concerns are appreciated.”

Misty Fly blushed, feeling stupid for asking now, “N-no problem Colonel! I’m sorry that my curiosity got the better of me. I will take my leave.”

The door closed and only silence remained.

Wind Rider stood up from his chair and looked outside the window. His office was on the highest floor and he had a good view of Cloudsdale from his position. He could see how the citizens, members of the militia or his own soldiers went after their own businesses.

His guilt never left the man, nor his feelings and his inner conflict. He lied, but it was necessary, or so he wanted to believe. For his granddaughter.

The mayor went back to his desk, opened a drawer and took a with metal framed picture out of it, the memento displayed signs of age. It showed an once happy family, whose members were putting their arms around each other’s shoulders. A big jet in the background with his signature symbol upon the side, a flight hat and goggles.

Wind Rider chuckled nostalgically at seeing his younger self in the center. Just instead of the present grey his coiffure had its original deep lime green, he wore proudly his favourite Wonderbolt flight jacket. The same he was wearing now. He lost count how many missions they survived together. Dark blue cloth trousers and black shoes, parts of his officer service dress uniform, completed his outfit.

On his right stood a young woman. She had the same pale, light grayish cerulean skin color like him and a deep amber short hair cut with a vivid dark gamboge streak in the middle, formed as a lightning bolt. Her eyes had a brilliant shade of gold. She wore the standard Wonderbolt uniform, orange tinted flight goggles on her head.

His daughter, Cloud Fire.

A single tear escaped the corner of his right eye. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t there to protect you.”

It happened seven years ago. The tension between the USA and Yakyakistan was at its zenith. Cloud Fire had nothing more to do than a normal scouting mission. But they didn’t have any intel to that time that the enemy secretly bought the most modern version of anti-aircraft guns.

At least it was painless. Cloud received a Medal of Honor and the newly elected President Fancy Pants held the speech personally.

His gaze focused on the last person in the picture, a little girl to his left. Cloud Fire’s daughter, his granddaughter, Lightning Dust.

Like her mother she was the joy of his life. She had brilliant gamboge colored eyes, brilliant amber hair with brilliant gold stripes and light turquoise skin. Lightning wore a much too big flight jacket herself, it covered her entire body. His granddaughter’s silly grin made him smile.

But he just had to make a hard decision. Loyal service to his country for 40 years… or family.

Wind Rider promised himself and his daughter at Cloud Fire’s grave that he would protect Lightning Dust with all means. Always.

So he did. His mind told him otherwise at this time, but his heart won in the end.

Soon they would reach Cloudsdale. General Firefly gave orders to make the troops ready in the moment she returned from her meeting with the president.

The units were ordered to leave the capitol in waves of three convois in a orderly fashion on the land way, since planes seemed to be dead. Wind Rider accompanied the third himself.

After moving out they encountered a lot of unique and unexpected sights. Goblins, Nagas, timberwolves, giant insects, rovers, plants that tried to kill, you named it. He was just happy that his granddaughter decided to visit him during the holidays. He heard what happened with Canterlot City and still had to inform Lightning Dust about it.

She visited the Cloudsdale Academy, far away from Canterlot, but close enough that this… heinous act should be a concern for the city. Who would do such a thing? He never heard about the invasion of a major army. And what meaning had these rumours about beings made of fire?

Questions upon questions.

“Grandpa, did you listen to what I said?” Lightning Dust enquired worriedly.

Wind Rider looked at the girl. His granddaughter became a close image of her mother when she was younger. Now she had back gelled hair, but it still looked wild in its own way with the complementing bright colors. Her attire consisted out of red sneakers with black lightning bolts on the sides, white knee-long bermuda-shorts, a platinum colored shirt with her favourite symbol upon it, a white lightning bolt and three stars, two orange, one yellow and a Wonderbolt jacket he gave her to her birthday last year.

Oh how time flew by.

“Sorry Light, I must have dozed off a little. Can you repeat it please?” Wind Rider asked with a warm smile.

“I asked how you are so sure that Cloudsdale is safer than the capitol? From what I heard there are problems everywhere,” she repeated herself in confusion.

He hummed thoughtfully, “We are not sure, but-”

The driver of their vehicle hit the brakes rather abruptly, before he jumped out and ripped the door open. It was a fresh recruit, a young man to be precise. “Sir! A giant tree is blocking our path, we have to remove it first before we can catch up with General Firefly and Captain Spitfire!”

“Well? Let’s get to it soldier,” Wind Rider suggested with a dry chuckle.

“Sir!” he exclaimed loudly and vanished after giving his colonel a salut.

The two family members decided to stretch their legs, watching that everything was going smoothly from afar. Lightning wasn’t the only one in her age either. Some soldiers brought their loved ones with them in hope that Cloudsdale was a safe haven.

Suddenly something like sounds of battle echoed around them.

His second in command, in this case Sergeant Soarin, came running fastly, “Colonel! Our troops are securing the parameters in the moment we speak and keep an eye on our surroundings. I suggest that we are moving out. It could be an enemy or an ally, we are not sure.”

Wind Rider took immediate action and focused on his granddaughter, “Lightning Dust! Please go to the center of the convoi where it is safe” And switched his attention to his subordinate, “Sergeant! Perhaps someone needs our help. You stay here and are in charge during my absence, am I understood?”

Soarin saluted, “Yes, sir!”

“B-but grandpa!” Lightning tried to say her own opinion, but he stayed firm.

“Don’t worry Light. It will need more than a few walking fairy tales to bring me down. Just wait for me,” Wind Rider assured soothingly.

He chose six Wonderbolts to follow him into the unknown. They got closer and closer until the small group reached a willow with a river in front of it. But what got their attention the most were the two combatants.

The humans were frozen in fear and awe.

One was a beast that looked like a, in his opinion, small, thickly built dragon with a long snout. Maybe three and a half meter tall. Its brilliant white scales covered the entire body, illuminating the surroundings with their shine, only the underside was protected by what looked like thick black leather, dark as the void. Its sharp black claws swung around, trying to get its prey and sky blue eyes were upon every movement the opponent made. Then there were nearly translucent looking white wings, Wind Rider nearly missed them, because they were tucked together on the reptile’s back. But most interesting was the long tail with a deadly looking spiked club at the tip.

The second being appeared to be made of air itself, visible grey and white combinations of wind currents to be precise, a little like a living tornado. Though it wore with strangely glowing blue symbols coated golden colored armor around feet, upper legs, hands, chest and head, it reminded of the hoplites of old greek. He didn’t know at this time that the alloy was called Neuphalt. The figure looked very tall and humanoid, nearly 2.20 meter, if not for being built out of wind.

It, whatever it was, attacked the dragon with bigger or smaller spheres made of air to keep the large animal at bay.

“S-sir? What are your orders?” one of the braver Wonderbolts asked in fear.

At first Wind Rider wanted to order a retreat. This conflict was nothing they should get themselves involved in… until the human like being jumped away from the beast and stared in their direction.

It waved with a hand as if nothing was wrong with the situation. “Hey! Mortals! Your help would be much appreciated!” the fighter exclaimed in what sounded like gale-force winds to an extent, but somehow the voice had a male touch.

The dragon saw them as well and took the decision away from the Wonderbolts. It had found easier prey and flew much faster than expected, landing directly in front of them. It roared in a challenging manner.

“Shoot that thing!” Wind Rider ordered harshly.

His subordinates didn’t need a second invitation and opened fire. But it tore through them like nothing, not caring for the bullets like they tried to hurt it with pebbles instead, only a few managed to draw blood.

The usually proud colonel could only dodge and witness in horror how his fellow soldiers were slaughtered.

When he was the last man standing and thought it was his turn the wind soldier intervened, “Take that, you overgrown salamander!”

A giant sword made of black clouds pierced the animal’s skull in the moment it looked up. The earth shook when its heavy body made contact with the ground.

The now above Wind Rider floating warrior laughed victoriously before he reappeared besides the shocked man. It was like he became one with the wind around him and decided to appear somewhere else, “Don’t worry mortal. That was just a good old wind teleportation spell, nothing special. Oh! And thank you for your support, I will never forget what you did for me.”

Wind Rider could only stammer in response, “H-huh?” It was surreal.

“Didn’t you see the monster sword I used on the lizard? I couldn’t have concentrated enough energy to summon it if not for you brave souls!” His… joyful tone took a much more subdued note, “I’m serious though, the sacrifice of your fellow brothers and sisters shall not be forgotten by me. If you have a wish and it is within my power, I shall grant it to you. By my honor.” Silence. “Sooo… who are you?”

He found his voice again, but wasn’t sure if it was wise to tell this being anything. And the deaths of his subordinates burdened his conscience, still. But in the end the senior officer decided to answer truthfully. And who knew? Maybe he found a potential ally. “I am Colonel Wind Rider of the Wonderbolts. Who are you… sir? And why were you fighting this dragon?”

The wind elemental chuckled a little, “My name is Aram, I am a simple Wind Healer of Lady Ano’yil’s forces. You know, the big boss. And that was a wyvern, not a Dragon. I was just here to look around a little. Sightseeing you might say. But then our friend here thought I was something edible and attacked me.”

It confused Wind Rider, sometimes this ‘Aram’ was polite, serious and respectful, the next second he was laid back and had no qualms to speak his mind freely.

A scream interrupted the further conversation, “HELP!!!”

Wind Rider paled like rarely before in his life, “Lightning Dust!” He ran and gave his own name tribute.

His blood ran cold when he saw the scene in front of him. His granddaughter was laying on the ground with the gun he gave her in the right hand. Besides a giant dead snake, it was at least eight meter long.

He took her into his arms, like a loving father. The fearful man felt for a pulse, it was weak, “Light! Are you alright!? Say something!” Tears built up in his eyes.

The tough girl opened her own orbs and smiled at the familiar face, “G-grandpa? Did you see that? I got it good.”

“Why didn’t you listen to me and stayed at the convoi?” he asked, more pleading as demanding.

“You didn’t come back after over two hours. I sneaked away to search for you. Sorry.” Lightning grinned sheepishly before she fainted.

“That looks like poisoning.” Aram commented dryly from the corpse of the snake, he kneeled in front of it. “Yep, these colors indicate that it was a toxin using subspecies.”

Wind Rider noticed the bite mark and the two big holes in Lightning Dusk’s left leg just now. He remembered what Aram said about his occupation, “Can you help her? Please! Save my granddaughter!”

The air elemental looked over Lightning, then at the praying Wonderbolt, “I can’t do anything from here. I am a healer, yes, but no miracle worker. I need a special plant to make her a potion she needs. But it only grows in my homeland, the Torn Heavens. I rarely handled one of you fleshlings before and I have to warn you about the consequences.” Aram’s voice was completely serious.

“Anything!” He was ready to do whatever it took to save her.

The tall entity surrounded Lightning’s body with white fog, holding her in the air and leaned closer to the older human, “She is stable for now. And I’m being honest, you deserve this much after helping me. We air elementals are free to roam this world, but were ordered to stay out of sight of the locals. I need your word to keep our meeting a secret from others. And then there is the problem that I have to irreversibly change this human female into a half elemental. I will have to make her my Scion of Air.”

Wind Rider didn’t understand the meaning of the warning, “W-why? What do you mean?”

“The Elemental Planes are no place for common mortals, you can’t survive there. You have to be at least a half elemental or need special items in order to enter our domain. I fear this is a life-changing decision you have to make for her,” Aram explained in sympathy, but his voice, if someone could call it that, had a clear edge.

The colonel was in a pickle.

Decades of service for his country were on his belt, keeping the presence of an unknown force a secret wasn’t something he should do. His oath demanded that he should report General Firefly about everything that happened. It was one side of the coin and stood against saving his granddaughter’s life.

He looked fatefully at Aram, not that Wind Rider saw the elemental’s eyes behind the helmet anyway, “I swear to you to keep everything a secret. Just save her.”

The Wonderbolt could have sworn that Aram grinned, “As you wish.”

They shook hands.

Wind Rider glanced at the clock. It seemed he stared at the photo for nearly 25 minutes. He put it away and took a small silvern key out of his pocket, opening another drawer beneath.

It was another letter, in Lightning Dust’s hand writing. She wrote him that everything went smoothly and that Aram managed to heal her completely. It didn’t suit her at first that her life was saved in exchange for most of her humanity. Or in her words, it was: ‘so not cool’.

But she was very grateful nonetheless.

And most disturbing was for him the knowledge that Lightning had probably to collaborate with the ones who invaded Canterlot City. He knew about the five elemental tribes. Especially the fire elementals’ description in both, Lightning’s letter and Spitfire’s report, were too much of a coincidence

Well, at least his granddaughter managed to overcome the initial shock after her awakening. At first he thought that she hated him for what he did to save her life. Wind Rider was in a struggle with himself if he did the right thing, at first.

From what he gathered Lightning Dust was taught about her new abilities and everything it included.

His heart won in the end, there was no denying it. Indeed, his family was more important to him than anything else. He would do what needed to be done as long as she was safe.

Wind Rider took a lighter and observed how the letter of his granddaughter burned away to nothing.

Luviel was foaming in pure fury and shame, ignoring all questioning looks aimed at the Emerald Elf. She opened the door of the Apples' household with force, the host family's matriarch was less than happy about it.

"Land's Sakes! Ah expect from y'all as our guests to handle our things respectfully or ya will work with the pigs from now on!" Granny Smith admonished firmly from the kitchen.

Twilight Velvet, Marble and Cloudy Quartz, who helped the older woman with today's food preparations, came running to inspect the commotions' source. "Ms. Dawnseeker?" the wife of Night Light and mother of two mages asked worriedly at the newcomers' facial expression, "Is something wrong?"

"Yes. Please help me to gather everybody at the entrance of the house as fast as possible, I have an important announcement to make. We are all in huge trouble," the Emerald Elf answered gravely.

They paled at the usually always very chipper woman's tone.

"W-why, certainly! We shall do as thee desire! Come Marble!" Pinkie Pie's mother responded immediately. Her daughter followed with a whimper, Velvet not far behind.

She looked after the leaving trio, deep in thoughts, "Because of my carelessness we may have to leave this place." The elf crunched with her teeth in hatred, "May the Adepts of Khom all rot in Tartarus with their bastard of a master!" Luviel walked to the door and looked up at the clear sky in mixed emotions, but most prominent, sadness, "Sister, why did you betray me? I still don't understand your reasons."

It felt like yesterday when it happened. A small troop of Mana Weavers and Royal Infantry had nothing more to do than an easy recon mission nearby Kalandros Keep, a southern stronghold made to prevent the demons from invading Ashall any further as they already did, to confirm a newly spread rumor about a powerful artifact.

They found a demon infested cave and slaughtered every single of one them until the area was clear. In the end was a strange black crystal that seemed to lurk the demons to it. They worshipped the artifact.

It was like some kind of mind influencing magic inhabited their goal, but lucky for them it had only an effect on the feral beasts of Tartarus.

Half of the Emerald Elves wanted to destroy it, fearing its dark touch. The other half, the siblings were under them, wanted to take it back home to investigate its properties. On this way they had perhaps a chance to get an edge on their enemies.

In the end the supporters of the later option were in superior numbers after a long discussion.

Their leader called it a day near a beautiful meadow, Luviel believed to remember. Suddenly in the middle of the night they were attacked by Witchers and Black Nights. This was the very first time she met the Adepts of Khom in her life. Everybody was killed during the unexpected encounter, a good share of their forces died before they could even start to organize a counterattack.

Except Anazynthia Dawnseeker and the Mana Weaver herself.

She remembered clearly how her twin stood above her kneeling form, captured by the cultists of the Damnation Seeker. Luviel would never forget the pitying look Anazynthia gave her, the black crystal in her hand like a prize.

But worst of all was their last conversation with each other.

"What have you done?! They were our friends, our brothers and sisters in arms! And you betrayed them! You betrayed me!" Luviel Dawnseeker exclaimed in sheer fury, hot tears were streaming down her cheeks.

They had a nearly identical appearance, except that Anazynthia's hair was styled in a ponytail. The still standing Emerald Elf shook her head in resignation, "Luvi," she started in a slightly rougher, but bell-like voice as her sister in a pained tone, "I feared that you wouldn't understand. Why couldn't you listen to me? I begged you to stay at the palast, to let me handle the rumor alone."

"Understand?!" The prisoner said the word like it was poison, "I think I understand well enough what happened! I'm confident that the corpses of our friends are proof enough of your treason!"

The other elf snorted in annoyance, having enough, "You know nothing, Luviel! My new master, Damnation Seeker Khom, appeared in my dreams and showed me visions of the future, visions where our home was nothing more than a wasteland! Thanks to a threat that will let the demons who invade our country in this very moment look like a mere nuisance in comparison! We, the Adepts of Khom, are this world's only hope!"

The Mana Weaver gasped in shock and disbelief, "You can't truly think that following one of the six Royal Demons of Tartarus is a good idea! And why didn't you say anything?! If there is an unknown threat to all of us you should have told me immediately! Our people would have listened to your plea!"

She couldn't believe her sibling.

Anazynthia scoffed at the last sentiment, "Oh please! We both know that the elders, those senile old fools, would have declared me insane. Or that I let 'nightmares' get to my head. My plan was perfect, everything would have looked like a normal raid, nothing special these days. I could have spared you the knowledge of what I had to do in order to save this world, if you wouldn't have insisted on coming with me! Don't you see? I sacrifice myself for your well-being, sis!""

Luviel's voice broke a little, "Do you honestly believe I would have been happy with living a lie where I believed that my twin sister died in a demon attack and not even a body to bury remained? That our friends, Alana, Jentha and Frey all died and how I did nothing to prevent it? That I possibly could have saved you all if I didn't stay at home instead? Did it never occur to you what great grief your actions would cause their families, and me?!"

For the first time regret made itself noticeable in the older sibling's face, her voice softened, "Of course I am aware of the consequences. And I will always hate myself for what I had to do, but that is my sin to bear, not yours. I needed a skilled team that helped me with the demons who guarded the crystal without being suspicious about it." She held the mysterious object in question in her palm like it was her most precious item. "Such a peculiar little thing. But I know it was worth it in the end, a few lives have no value if it means creating an entire world worth living in."

The now sitting Mana Weaver shook her head in denial and remained quiet.

One of the Black Knights approached the twins, saluted and asked in a female, muffled voice, "Milady, I know it isn't my position to question you, but isn't it much too dangerous to let this woman live? She will tell the other elves about us and they may seek revenge for what we did."

Anazynthia glared holes in the speaking woman for even suggesting such a thing, "Your concerns are duly noted, soldier, but no. She is my sister and I will see to it that she will live. We are no immediate threat to Ashall and they have enough to do with the demons in the south and the trolls in the north. Did I make myself clear?"

The knight sounded a few shades paler, even without any visible skin thanks to her armor, "A-as you wish, Lady Anazynthia."

Luviel could only laugh, this all had to be a bad dream, "So you are sparing my life? How did I earn such honor?" Her sarcasm was tangible.

The older sibling illuminated a hand with green colored magic, casting a spell known as ‘Embrace of Nature’. This ability gave every Emerald Elf the opportunity of putting their opponents to sleep with a calming touch.

Anazynthia’s body language didn't show anything else than indifference from the outside, "I don't expect any gratitude from you, but I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me one day. Sleep now. May Elandrial protect you, always."

Luviel couldn't even respond before her consciousness faded away.

She snapped back to reality after hearing a cursing Granny Smith, a plate had shattered on the ground.

The elf frowned at her own state of ignorance concerning her sibling's plans and left the house to find the others, it annoyed her to no end that she never asked Anazynthia the most important question at that time, "About what kind of threat were you talking about?"

And did her twin even know that she was involved in the matters concerning Ponyville? Maybe Vyndrak didn't have to answer to her and obeyed solely to someone else? Or was she already informed and Zynthi simply didn't care any longer for her?

Luviel didn't know which option was worse.

It was a productive day for the science trio. Twilight, Moondancer and Sunset managed to build a few more sets of gems. Of course that was only the first step, the Constructor Magic user had already plans for future projects, with the help of the her hard-working assistants of course.

"I guess after many 'try & error' situations we finally have the hang out of it. Do you think we should work with the range next? Maybe we could increase their efficiency?" Twilight suggested thoughtfully.

It was a bummer for their pride, but the magical link between two enchanted gems lost its intensity with higher distances between them. After merely 100 meter the connection went silent. At least the signal's strength increased again when they got closer to each other once more.

They had still a long road to go, but that was science for you. Baby steps.

Sunset looked satisfied at the finished pairs in front of them, "Good idea, Twilight. I think we have enough sets for now. I mean we only had two days of research and honestly? I feared that we would have a lot of more trouble with creating them."

"Bacon Hair has a point. We used our time well," Midnight agreed neutrally.

"You didn't do anything. The only thing you did was laughing like someone on nitrous oxide whenever something went wrong!" Twilight replied in annoyance.

The dark angel groaned at her metaphorical and literal twin, "Do you really have to convert every manner of speech into something highly intelligent? 'Nitrous oxide'? Seriously?"

"Why should I use terms which don't describe its properties? You know exactly about what I am talking about, you are me, sort of," the bookworm defended herself with a pouting tone.

"Because it isn't funny, only awkward! You are maybe fine with being seen as the dork of the group, but I have higher standards," came the immediate reply.

In the meantime, outside of Twilight Sparkle's mindscape, were Sunset and Moondancer occupied with their own conversation.

"So, do you already know how you want to name these gems? Calling them simply 'communication crystals' sounds so... boring," Sunset said with a playful smile.

Moondancer thought about the amber girl's words and her eyes widened, "I got it! If you are fine with it I would like to call them MEVT."

The Unicorn-turned-human raised an eyebrow, "MEVT?"

The Constructor Magic user sounded way too enthusiastically, "Magic Enhanced Voice Transmitter, I think it suits them well, doesn't it?"

Sunset could have sworn her sweat dropped from hearing the name, she didn't expect it to be this academical. In the end the fiery teenager decided to spare Moondancer's feelings, "I'm fine with it. And I'm sure Twilight will be, too."

The duo looked in expectations at their friend, only to see that Twilight Sparkle was in the middle of a very hard fight, her eyes were crossed, the cheeks inflated and her teeth worked like she had to do the private business. All that together gave Moondancer the impression that something was very wrong with their third member.

But Sunset Shimmer knew what to do, "Don't worry." She looked at the lavender teenager and had a good guess what or more who was the reason of this... interesting facial expression, "Oh no! All our notes caught fire!"

That got the knowledge lover's attention faster than Apple Cider Rainbow Dash's, "WHAT?!" Twilight, and to Sunset's confusion, Moondancer shouted at the same time and looked at the undamaged results upon the table in great despair.

"Sunset! That was-" The door was forcefully opened and the magician's mother, Twilight Velvet, made an entrance, "Girls, come quick! Ms. Dawnseeker has something very important to say. She asked for a meeting at the Apple Family's main house!"

The former student of Princess Celestia had a bad feeling in her gut and voiced her opinion accordingly, "Can't we have a break for once!?"

Everybody was assembled, the Emerald Elf stood on a stony socket, made by Maud, so that the whole audience could see the woman.

"Do y'all know why we're here?" Applejack quietly asked her friends. Twilight and Sunset shook their heads.

"I don't know Darling, but Lemon Zest came to get us after she was informed by Big Mac, and here we are," Rarity admitted in uncertainty.

"Oh! Oh! Maybe she found a secret cupcake fountain!" Everybody stared at her in bewilderment and decided to move on.

"I don't have a good feeling about this, it sounded urgent," Fluttershy added fearfully.

After Luviel was sure that everybody was gathered she started, "I want to thank you all for appearing on such a short notice, but I have dire news to share." To the confusion of the ones who listened well to her voice the elf sounded ashamed.

"W-what happened?" Lyra asked nervously.

"Did you see more of those fire elementals?!" BonBon voiced her own worries.

Panicked whispers were exchanged, but before fear could take its roots too deep the former dean of Crystal Prep spoke up, "People, calm down! It won't bring us any good if we are falling into despair before we even know what is wrong!"

Sunset saw it in the eyes of many that the trauma, caused by the elementals, left its scars. She couldn't fault them, Canterlot City was a beautiful place, but the former Unicorn didn't feel such a strong connection to it as it was the case with Equestria's capital. The transformed mare knew she would react the same way if she would have been in their place.

Images of a burning Equestria entered her head, she felt terrible. "Hopefully Princess Twilight closed the portal..." Her eyes widened and she had to stop herself from facepalming, "Sweet Celestia, I'm so stupid! I forgot to tell her about everything that happened here!"

Luviel looked uncomfortably, "Two hours ago I found two spies at the borders of Sweet Apple Acres. They could escape because of a Frost Hound they had with them. I was careless."

The Shadowbolts and Zecora gasped in recognition, then Sunny Flare exclaimed loudly, "Aren't Frost Hounds these demon dogs of the Adepts of Khom?!"

That earned Luviel fearful stares and angry frowns.

She chuckled awkwardly with reddened cheeks, "Yeah, sorry. That one goes on me. I thought that I could handle them easily enough and didn't expect that their pet would attack me from behind. So... we should prepare ourselves, you know, just in case."

"Are you serious!?" Trixie shouted in fury. "Because of your carelessness those murderers know where we are!"

"I can't fault Trixie's logic. You should have eliminated them immediately in the moment you saw them, now we have to leave this place," Sugarcoat added coldly without any restraint. Limestone, Indigo Zap, Sunny Flare, Mrs. Pie, Flash and BonBon nodded in support.

Luviel forsake her fake-cheerfulness and crumbled under the accusing glares.

"That's enough!" Granny Smith shouted in fury, "Ah won't let y'all treat that poor girl like a criminal because of an honest mistake! Did Ah make ma'self clear?!"

"But Mrs. Smith! We can't hold Sweet Apple Acres against an entire army!" Flash Sentry gave to consider.

The matriarch glanced over the entire group, "Ah'm not the youngest woman anymore, but Ah'll be cursed if Ah let ma' grandchildren and others suffer for ma' stubbornness. We should take what we need and prepare to leave the farm," she said in a saddened tone.

A nearly collective wave of gasps made the round, only her grandchildren didn't react as much as it was expected, their faces made of grim acceptance.

Granny Smith gave a dry laugh as a response, "What did y'all expect me to do? A house and a barn can be rebuild, but yer kin only exists one time. And Ah won't endanger them for a few apples."

"I would call that a little more than just a few-eep!" A warning glare of the matriarch silenced Lyra immediately, she was hiding now behind an eye-rolling BonBon.

Sunset put her focus on the quiet cowgirl besides her, mistaking her friend’s lack of reaction for sadness and shock, "I think she is right, we may have a better chance defending us against the occasional animal with the newly built walls and our magic, but we can't keep an army of demons and warlocks at bay. Sorry Applejack."

Much to her and others' surprise the farmer in question smiled somberly, "Thanks Sugarcube, but everybody in our family already knows about Granny's plans and even if Ah don't agree with her or like the idea..." Applejack sighed, "Ah had a lot of time to think about it... and she's right. Staying stubborn and deciding to hold Sweet Apple Acres at all costs won't do us no good."

"Eeyup!" Big Mac agreed in determination.

"It will be like a great adventure!" Apple Bloom exclaimed with a big grin, despite her inner sorrow. She was sure their parents would approve.

"We could be like Daring Do! Hunting for treasures and secrets in undiscovered lands!" Scootaloo aided her fellow crusader in eagerness.

Sweetie Belle squeaked in excitement, "You are right! On this we may discover our m-!"

Scootaloo hugged her friend, hard. Her smile much too forced to look natural, but she faced solely her friend, "Don't worry, we'll be fine."

Only Zecora and Rarity stood close enough to hear the trio, the former chuckled knowingly and the later focused too much on the fact that her sister agreed to such dangerous plans. Her eye twitched, she had hoped her sibling wouldn't want to take a part in such activities as adventuring, especially now.

Sweetie Belle was normally so well-behaved!

"T-thank you, Mrs. Smith," Luviel said gratefully.

The grandmother waved her off, "Don't mention it dearie. No harm was done and ya told us all as soon as ya could."

Cadance approved. If not for the elder woman she would have said something herself. Fighting and blaming each other wouldn't do them any good, "Mrs. Smith is right Luviel, we-"

*HONK* *HONK*

"There!" Lemon Zest pointed out.

A vehicle approached them in high speed, a military pick-up truck to be exact.

"HEYYYYYYYYY!" Rainbow Dash shouted from above, she used her wings to fly besides the madly driving Celestia.

"What-"

"-the-"

"-buck?!" Indigo Zap, Pinkie Pie and Sunset Shimmer shouted at the same time, the latest earned herself confused glances at saying the Pony equivalent of a common human cursing phrase.

The former principal hit the breaks and came to a stop in front of the crowd, a fearful looking and sweating Captain Spitfire at her side.

"Pff! My entrance was much more awesome!" the Heavens Magic user boasted as she landed with force, blowing up dust.

She couldn't even blink before Pinkie Pie glomped her.

"Auntie! Did something happen? Where are the others?!" Cadance interrogated in great worry. What was with her Shiny?!

The former principal jumped out of the car and shortly hugged her emotional niece, but with calming softness, "Don't worry. We are all fine." She saw how everybody was already here, "Did we miss something?"

"I found two spies on one of my patrols. Now the Adepts of Khom know where we are, because of my stupidity," Luviel admitted ruefully.

Celestia rubbed her chin in thoughts, "That will make it easier, I guess."

"What do you mean, Princi-Ms. Celestia?" Rarity asked in wonder at her calmness.

The until now quiet and third newcomer cleared her throat loudly, "The reason why we are here in the first place."

"SPITFIRE!" echoed a chorus of former CHS students after recognizing their former Wondercolt captain.

Mentioned young woman groaned internally, trapped between two courses of action. Insisting on being treated worthy of her new position as a leader of the military or trying to act casually with them.

"You are alive!"

"What happened to you? Where were you?!"

"Where are Soarin and the others? Did you see them?"

"Girl, you are wearing a Wonderbolt suit! You did it!"

Rainbow Dash interrupted the moment, before more could express their feelings, "Guys! Let her get a word out. It's important!"

The Wonderbolt was flustered, she wasn't greeted in such an informal manner since the last time she and her friends met for celebrating Fleetfoot’s birthday, "Thanks Crash-"

"Hey!" the crimson colored teenager shouted in embarrassment. Her fellow Rainbooms chuckled.

"I think it would be best to introduce myself first. I am Captain Spitfire, commanding officer of the Wonderbolts and a part of the US Air Force. Well, if you find a still working vehicle to fly that is," she joked darkly.

"Oh great. I guess that confirms it that even the planes are gone," Lyra said sulkingly.

Spitfire nodded in grim agreement, "Sorry, it is sadly the truth. But now to the matter at hand. We came here to tell you that Ponyville is facing a giant threat. An invasion is coming up and we need every help available to save the town and its citizens."

"WHAT?!"

Rainbow stepped forward and looked smugly at the others, "You can thank me for that. I flew to Camp Everfree and saw everything." Her cheerful attitude was replaced by anger, "Those dirty little-" She took a breath after getting a warning glare of the adults around her, "The Adepts of Khom have an entire army down there and built a freaking fortress! I didn't see the details, because... uhm, well..."

The athlete was still not certain why these things stopped chasing her.

Spitfire continued when she saw the chromatic girl's unsure expression of how to proceed. Most likely trying to come up with something that didn't scream that she had to turn tail, "Our daredevil here had to retreat, because the enemy has, so it was explained to me, Terrorbeasts at their disposal. Not that I would blame her when facing such a foe. Those demons are nasty business from what I heard."

Celestia took the short moment of shock induced silence as her cue, "We informed the ones in charge about everything we knew concerning the warlocks. And the Wonderbolts and Mayor Mare know that most of us can use magic. They are supportive, but the mayor wants that we keep a low profile and to not use any magic until there is no other way. We have... political enemies you might say."

"I think we are lacking some context, my friend," Zecora gave to consider.

"Whoa! You are really a troll!" Spitfire switched her focus to Luviel. "And a real elf!"

"And? DId you notice us just now, Captain?" the Emerald Elf enquired with a raised eyebrow, slightly amused.

Spitfire blushed, "Excuse my forwardness. I just never saw your kinds with my own eyes before."

The newly arrived trio brought everybody up to date. They told them about the political situation in Ponyville, the fractions, their leaders and shared their opinions how the town's population stood when it came to the topic of magic. Then they explained, of course with permission beforehand, what Iron Will was and his position as the leader of Ponyville's militia.

News about Fillydelphia's fate and the refugees hit the group hard, but hope blossomed after hearing about Cloudsdale and how the Wonderbolts made it their headquarter.

Fluttershy ran into the house in tears after hearing about her family’s situation, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Twilight Velvet followed her.

Cadance didn’t know how to handle the new situation either. To think that Prismia was now the leader of an on hatred and fear based faction was more than concerning. What was she thinking?

Sunset was frustrated and angry about their situation and voiced her opinion accordingly, “But we can’t use any regular weapons without any training, nor will we be able to hold the Adepts of Khom at bay without magic. Ponyville wouln’t stand a chance. We have to do something!”

Spitfire grinned wolfishly, “This was exactly what we discussed on our way here and we may have a plan to show the citizens of Ponyville that magic isn’t necessarily something to be feared, but can be very helpful as well. We just have to make sure that our actions won’t be connected to Mayor Mare in the case our plan backfires.”

“But won’t the others attack us in the moment we use magic?” Indigo asked nervously.

It was Celestia who answered, “This is exactly the reason why our timing has to be perfect. Let me explain…”

His army was ready to march. Punisher Vyndrak was proud on himself, too. His speech was surely a motivator.

He aligned their forces for the upcoming conquest and was positive that every soldier knew what had to be done. Vyndrak hoped that the demons would listen to his order that the citizens were to be captured. Dead humans were useless to them without their souls.

Now he stood with Acolyte Rich and Beast Tamer Makara in front of a gigantic summoning circle. 20 Adepts were positioned in and around the outer layer, whereas the poison green colored spell was nearly ready.

Makara yawned in boredom, “How many souls are you planning to use anyway? I gave you at least 12 humans.”

Filthy Rich looked grimly at the big silvern, with blue veins covered cubes in the northern and southern part of the circle. They were made of Kobarid, some alloy out of Tartarus. He was told that these were the objects used to contain the souls they needed to summon stronger beings beyond the rank of a High Demon.

Life Vessels.

Vyndrak cackled insanely, “45 Souls. I can’t wait to see what we may lure into this world with the help of such a tribute.”

This got her attention, “What will you do if you summon a demon beyond your control?”

The punisher scoffed, “Don’t ruin my fun. It will be something stronger than a Terrorbeast, but we should be fine.”

Makara shook her head in annoyance and ignored the man.

“Commander! We are ready!” one of the female adepts announced.

“Excellent! Begin the summoning!” Vyndrak shouted gleefully.

Unholy magic poisoned the air when the adepts started. The entire circle illuminated brightly and the soul vessels started to throb like hearts. Every beat was accompanied by a muffled death scream.

It gave Filthy the creeps of his life.

Something happened after the last cry passed. The inner layer, serving as the anchor point for the summoned demon, shot a pillar of energy into the sky. Everybody had to cover his eyes from its brightness, Vyndrak and Makara seemed to be unfazed though.

When the light started to disappear it was more and more replaced by a slowly growing shadow of the figure that stood now in the center. In the end half of Jormun was covered by its dark glory.

Everybody in Jormun, demons and half demons alike, stared up at what had entered the plane of Terra.

“By Khom…” It was the only thing that came to Filthy’s mind.

Makara’s reaction was only visible if someone looked at her face, her mouth stood open. She honestly didn’t expect that Vyndrak could pull it off.

The Punisher himself wore his mask like always, otherwise his colleagues would see a face splitting grin. All the suffering and destruction he could cause!

He voiced his ecstatic feelings only audible to himself, “I think I just came!”

Author's Note

Greetings my avid readers! :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

So here is already the first update since I finished my editing. Faster than expected. Oh, and big battle ahead! :pinkiecrazy:

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned! :moustache:

Chapter 26 - Prismia's Move

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Chapter 27 - Clash of Earth & Fire

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Chapter 28 - Invasion

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